


Infinite Possibilities

by TsukiMizuko



Category: Saint Seiya, Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac (Cartoon 2019), 聖闘士星矢 Legend of Sanctuary | Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary (2014)
Genre: But whatever, There's literally nothing connecting most of them, This is just a bunch of random one-shots I've written
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 40,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24315649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukiMizuko/pseuds/TsukiMizuko
Summary: A series of possible events set in the universe of Saint Seiya. Mostly one-shots of stories that I will likely never be able to write in full.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. Eternal Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this is all just a bunch of one-shots that I've written while trying to write my actual stories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day of training ends with a couple of stories and a fascinating discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I know I shouldn't be starting a new story with Survival and Justice both in-progress, but I really need to do this. Infinite Possibilities is a series of mostly unconnected one-shots of stories that I would like to write but likely never will. These ideas tend to get in the way of me writing the stories I'm actually working on, but I want to share them with you anyway. I would also appreciate any thoughts you have on them and whether any of them have potential as full stories.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

_The Saints of the Zodiac. Protectors of the goddess Athena. Warriors of light and justice. Their punches are said to cut the sky, and their kicks to crack the earth. But the Cosmo, the power with which the Saints fight, is said to grant powers beyond those necessary for battle, beyond that of destruction. Healing, creation, and most elusively, transformation._

_That's right, young Saints. Your Cosmo can grant you the power of transformation. Do no ask me what form it will take. Your form is determined by as aspect of your inner-most self that even you yourself may not be aware of._

"At least, that's what my master on Andromeda Island used to tell us." Shaun finished.

Jab scoffed. "That's you're story?" He asked. "Some old fantasy about inner selves and transforming like a magical girl from one of those anime?"

"Yep." Shaun replied cheerily. "We are telling stories of things that really stuck out to us during our training. This is mine."

The ten Graude Orphans were sitting around one of the training grounds in Sanctuary. After a long morning training session and a large lunch, they had settled down to relax and share stories from their time training to be Saints. So far the favorite seemed to have been Long's story of the day he tried to show off the Shunrei and had instead fallen into the lake at the bottom of the Lushan Falls.

"I heard something like that from Master Dohko once." Long commented, no longer seeming upset that the others had laughed at his expense. "He said that if you burn your Cosmo and focus your mind inwards, it is possible to transform into the form of you Eternal Spirit."

"Eternal Spirit?" Ban asked skeptically. "What is that?"

"Master Dohko never told me the details. The only other thing he ever told me was that some Eternal Spirits are more obvious than others. Though I'm not sure what he meant by that."

"Well there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Magnus pointed out. "We should try it."

Seiya cocked and eyebrow. "I didn't expect you to believe in this, Magnus." He said. Several of the others nodded in agreement.

"I'm allowed to believe in whatever I want. Besides, my master was a Gold Saint, remember? I learned the basics of the Eternal Spirit as part of my training. It's supposed to standard in training, but a lot of the Saint Trainers don't see it as being very important."

"Oh." Was all Seiya said in response.

"So are we trying this, or not?" Jab asked. "I want to see if all this crazy talk is real or not." His grin suggested that he was looking forward to the idea of proving his fellow Saints wrong and getting to mock them for it.

"I say we go for it." Seiya said. One by one, the others nodded, even Nero.

Packing up the remains of the food, the group of Saints spread out, each one adopting a position in which they could comfortably access their Cosmo.

"To access your Eternal Spirit, you have to be calm. Let your thoughts flow, but don't focus on any one thought in particular." Shaun said. "It's like meditation, but also different because you have to circulate your Cosmo at the same time."

The group sat, each one concentrating in their own way, but none seeming to change in any way. This lasted for quite a while.

Suddenly, the group became aware of a light shining from one spot in their circle. Long was glowing a pale green color. As the light intensified, the other young Saints were forced to shield their eyes to avoid being blinded.

When the light faded, the other nine Saints moved their arms and stared. Sitting, or perhaps lying, on the ground in front of them was a long, slender dragon, dark green and looking not unlike the dormant form of the Dragon Cloth.

"Well shit. Looks like Shaun was right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's about all there is for this one.
> 
> See you next time!


	2. Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Holy War goes wrong. This is all they can do to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is an idea I tried to run with as a full story. Didn't work, but I've still got this.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

_This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The Holy War was meant to purge humanity, not destroy the world._

Hades stared in despair at what the war between the gods a wrought. Humanity was destroyed, yes, but so was the Earth.

The land crumbled, massive craters opening and dragging animals and plants alike into their depths.

The oceans boiled, fish and other sea life cooking alive and floating, dead, to the top of the roiling surf.

And the Underworld burned, flames licking at the souls of the dead and consuming everything in their path.

Hades watched from the balcony of his palace, where all the gods had retreated. It was the only place left that was even remotely safe.

"What are we to do?" Poseidon asked.

"What can we do?" Athena demanded, her face twisted in anger. "This is what your insistence on those pointless wars has wrought! There is nothing we can do."

Zeus frowned, resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Be calm." He ordered. "We cannot do anything, but Kronos can."

"Kronos?" Poseidon asked. "You want to rewind time? How will that help. The world will just be destroyed all over again."

"I don't mean to rewind time, brother." Zeus answered. "I intend to send someone back in time. Kronos is capable of such a simple feat."

"Why send someone back, though?" Hades asked.

"Because there is no way to avoid the Holy War. We already that know from previous attempts." Zeus answered his brother's question. "But perhaps if Athena has someone to guide her..."

"Me?" Athena asked.

"Yes, you, daughter." Zeus said patiently. "You are the Goddess of Wisdom, but by the time you regain that wisdom in each cycle, the damage done and lives lost have made your victories nearly worthless."

Athena shrank a bit at her father's words, glancing away from him. "I know." She whispered. "But what other choice do I have, than to keep fighting?" She asked.

"That is for you to figure out on your own." Zeus told her. "But perhaps you will do so faster with guidance."

"If we are going to send someone back, who would it be?" Poseidon asked.

"Obviously it must be someone who knows of the Holy Wars, and can guide me as I regain my memories. It must be someone who already serves the gods." Athena said.

"And someone who will protect you, so both the Mariners and Specters are out of the question." Zeus added.

"I believe I have the solution." Hades spoke, finding himself hesitating.

"And what is that?" Poseidon asked.

"Before we retreated here I was able to acquire something, several somethings." Hades said. He moved his left hand out from under his cape, revealing the three swirling balls of Cosmo he had been holding there.

Athena gasped. "My Saints." She breathed, stepping forward and away from Zeus to lean closer to the three souls.

"Shion." The pale green ball of light lifted up off of Hades' hand, swirling around Athena's head before settling on her hand. Affectionate but respectful.

"Camus." The teal-colored ball of light moved straight for Athena's outstretched hand, resting lightly on her palm. Straightforward and clear.

"Saga." The dark blue ball seemed to hesitate, pausing a moment before moving to join the other two on Athena's hand. Anxious, wary.

Athena smiled "Thank you." She whispered to Hades.

The Goddess of Wisdom turned to Zeus. "Do it." She said "Send them back."

"Are you sure?" Zeus asked her. "At least one of those Saints betrayed you once."

"I am. It won't happen again. Of this, I am confident." Athena said.

"So be it." Zeus agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed my writing. Leave a comment!
> 
> Bye-bye!


	3. Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsumasa Kido learns about Sanctuary's Law of Siblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the third part of the Infinite Possibilities series. This is one that I'd like to turn into a full-length story eventually, but for now I'm just going to post it here, so I'd really appreciate feedback on this idea.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"Siblings are sent to the same training ground?" Mitsumasa Kido asked his butler.

"That's correct." Tatsumi Tokumaru answered. "One of our informants brought that information to us yesterday evening."

Kido sighed. "That's a strange rule." He said slowly. "And it complicates things. Sanctuary may get suspicious if they find out that any siblings have been split up. Tatsumi, are there any siblings among the children we gathered?"

"Just one pair." Tatsumi answered. "Shun and Ikki. Other than being a crybaby, Shun is easy. Ikki, on the other hand, is much harder to deal with. He's loud and rebellious and very protective of Shun. He'll probably throw a fit if they get separated."

Kido nodded. "Then this rule makes things simpler. Regardless of which one of them picks the training ground, send them to the same place."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Ikki scowled. Tatsumi had interrupted evening training, calling the one hundred Kido Foundation orphans to gather around him as he walked to the center of the sparring ring in the corner of the training room. He was carrying a wooden box of some kind.

Souta, Tatsumi's second-in-command, followed him in carrying a small table.

Ikki grabbed Shun and headed over to the sparring ring, shouldering his way through the other children to be near the front where they would be able to hear better.

"Listen up you brats! Today you're gonna pick your training ground." Tatsumi snapped. "Here's the rules: There are a hundred slips of paper in this box, each one with the name of a training ground on it. You pick one, and whatever training ground it says is where you go, no questions or complaints. Got it?"

Without waiting for an answer, Tatsumi pulled out a piece of paper and called out the first name: "Jabu, you're first!"

Jabu got up from where he sat at the front of the mass of orphans and grabbed a piece of paper, handing it to Tatsumi.

"Jabu, you're going to Oran in Algeria. Next, Hisato!"

Ikki let the names flow over him, not bothering to listen to where most of the children were going. The first one to catch his attention was a serious boy with black hair.

"Shiryu. The Wulao Peaks in China."

After that it was Nachi, one of the boys who often picked on Shun.

"Nachi, you're being sent to the Bomi Hills in Liberia."

"Seiya. Athens in Greece."

"Athens in Greece?" Seiya asked curiously.

"Yes. That's right." Tatsumi said. "Now go sit down."

For once, Seiya obeyed without question, his round face screwed up in thought.

"Yuri, you pick next."

A few moments later the oldest orphan, Geki, picked his training ground.

"The Rockies in Canada." Tatsumi announced.

"Hyoga. East Siberia."

Ikki glanced at the quiet boy. Hyoga was a mystery to everyone. As serious as Shiryu, but somehow twice as quiet. Shun was oddly fond of the blond boy, despite never having spoken to him before.

"Keep moving. Shun, you're next."

Ikki watched as his younger sibling walked up to the box and picked a piece of paper, then handed it to Tatsumi.

"Death Queen Island." Tatsumi read. Then he grinned. "Seems like you have the worst luck out of this whole group of orphans. Do you know why, Shun?"

"Uh-uh." Shun answered.

Tatsumi looked positively gleeful. "It's because Death Queen Island is a living hell. It's an island in the Pacific Ocean where the ground is covered in a burning hellfire and fire rains from the sky."

Shun flinched back. Ikki scowled. He hated it when Tatsumi got like this, it always spelled pain and misery for the children.

"But it gets better." Tatsumi added. "You see, there's a rule in the Laws of the Saints stating that siblings must always be trained together. In picking Death Queen Island, you've sentenced Ikki to the same fate. Well done kid."

Shun's eyes welled with tears. The child headed back to Ikki and sat down without saying anything. Ikki reached out and grabbed his sibling's hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. Shun gave him a shaky smile. They would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, what do you all think?
> 
> Please leave a comment. I'd especially like feedback on this one.
> 
> See you next chapter!


	4. Death Queen Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiolos leads a mission to Death Queen Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for which I would really appreciate feedback, especially since it looks like this chapter and the last one will actually be parts of the same story.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Aiolos slowed to a stop on the shore of Death Queen Island. Behind him he could hear Saga land with a near-silent thud, while Dimitri skidded slightly as he slowed down and out of lightspeed.

He set Marin down and looked around, searching for some sign of any of the island's inhabitants.

He found what he was looking for in the form of a small Amazon in a pale green trainer and white leg warmers, her face covered by a mask with black streaks on the cheeks.

The girl moved to join them, picking her way carefully through the mixture of sand, rocks, and bone on the shore. When she reached them, she looked them up and down.

"You are the Gold Saints sent by Sanctuary to help us." She stated easily.

"We are." Aiolos answered. "I am Sagittarius Aiolos. These are Gemini Saga, Crystal Saint Dimitri, and Eagle Marin. Who are you?"

"My name is Esmeralda, trainee for the Columba Cloth." Was the Amazon's answer.

Aiolos carefully didn't comment on the fact that this girl was also the daughter of the Master of Death Queen Island.

"Follow me." Esmeralda instructed crisply. "I will show you to where the rest of us are located right now."

Aiolos nodded and moved to follow the young Amazon-she couldn't be more than eight or nine years old-across the beach and up a narrow path that led up the nearby cliff.

"What happened here?" Saga asked as they traversed the path.

"How much were you told before you came here?" Esmeralda countered.

"Not much..." Saga answered grimly.

* * *

**Flashback**

_"Aiolos, Saga, I have a mission for you." Pope Shion said grimly._

_"A mission, Your Holiness? At this hour?" Aiolos asked, confused. He had been woken up at 2 A.M. by one of the servants of the house of Sagittarius coming to tell him he had an urgent summons from the Pope._

_"Yes, Aiolos. I'm afraid you will be leaving for Death Queen Island early." The Pope answered._

_"Death Queen Island? But you said that could wait until the morning." Aiolos didn't mean to argue, he just didn't understand._

_Just yesterday evening Aiolos and Silver Saint Eagle Marin had been called to the Pope's chambers to be informed that they would be traveling to Death Queen Island, the hellish training ground known for having the highest death count among all of Sanctuary's training grounds, because there was a situation that the Master of Death Queen Island felt required the judgement of an Amazon. Aiolos was only being sent to provide Marin with easy transportation. The current peaceful state of Sanctuary meant that Aiolos could be spared for such simple things._

_"What happened? And why does this situation require more than just the two of us?" Marin asked, echoing Aiolos's own thoughts._

_The Pope sighed quietly. "Death Queen Island has been attacked. We received a distress call from Master Guilty just half an hour ago."_

_"Attacked?" Saga asked. "By who?"_

_"We don't know. Just that there were a number of casualties. I'm sending the four of you to help with the wounded. Eagle Marin, you will resolve the original situation at the same time."_

_"Four of us, Your Holiness?" Marin clarified. "Who else are you sending?"_

_"I have ordered Crystal Saint Dimitri to join you." Shion answered. "Aquarius Camus will look after his students in the meantime. You will leave immediately, understood?"_

_"Yes, Your Holiness!" The three Saints replied promptly._

_"Good. You will find the Crystal Saint in the House of Aquarius."_

_The two Gold Saints and one Silver Saint left the Pope's chambers and hurried down the stairs toward the House of Pisces._

_"Marin, what are you doing with your student?" Aiolos asked, barely pausing to nod at the night shift guards of Aphrodite's House._

_Marin huffed. "I left him a note saying to go to Shaina for a few days. I'll leave a message with one of the guards to warn Shaina in the morning."_

_"Poor guard." A voice said as they entered the House of Aquarius. They all glanced to the left to see the Crystal Saint, Dimitri, walking towards them.  
_

_Marin snorted as the white-haired man fell in to step with them. "I'd feel worse, but I don't have the time to listen to Shaina complain." She said._

_"Fair enough. Are you all ready to leave?"_

_The other three Saints nodded._

_Together, the four Saints turned to head out of Sanctuary._

* * *

"I see." Esmeralda mused. "We're not really sure who attacked us. They used flying machines, the likes of which I've never seen before. They had weapons that fired small metal spheres too. That's how we lost most of the trainees who died. That and some kind of explosive weapon."

As they reached the top of the cliff, Dimitri asked another question. "Did anyone manage to take down any of those flying machines?"

"Master Guilty managed to take one down." Esmeralda answered. "It's on the north end of the island. Why?"

"I may be able to identify it if it's in decent shape." Dimitri explained.

"I see." Esmeralda said. She glanced back when the four Saints following her paused. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"How do we get down that?" Saga asked, staring at the rather steep side of the cliff. There was no path to be seen, and the cliff was so smooth that there were no hand holds to climb down with.

"Oh. Just follow me." Esmeralda said, and leapt over the edge.

Aiolos started, almost fearing for the young girl's life, until he realized what she was doing. The girl was sliding down the side of the cliff, leaning back and using one hand to brace herself so she didn't fall. The Gold Saint blinked. That was impressive.

Marin let out a small laugh. "Impressive. This must be the only way to get to the bottom." With that being said, the Amazon took off after the younger girl.

Aiolos shared a look with Saga, who shrugged, then Dimitri, who smiled.

"Don't want to fall behind, now do we?" The Crystal Saint asked.

The three men quickly followed the two women. It proved to actually be quite easy to slide down the cliffside.

They reached the bottom only a few moments after Marin and Esmeralda, joining the two Amazons.

"Where to next?" Saga asked.

"The housing area is just over that hill there." Esmeralda said, pointing off the right a bit. "The flying machine that my father destroyed is up that mountain that way, near the training ground."

"Take us to the housing area. We need to take care of the wounded first." Aiolos instructed. "Later you can take Dimitri to see this flying machine while Marin deals with the other situation we were sent here about."

Esmeralda nodded and started walking, the other four following after her.

"What was the other situation that we were sent here for?" Marin asked. "We weren't given any details."

"Oh." Esmeralda deflated visibly. "That's..." She trailed off.

Marin softened at the sight before her. "What happened?" She asked gently.

"Well..." Esmeralda started again. "What do you know about the Kido Orphans?"

Aiolos shared a look with Saga. Everyone in Sanctuary knew about the Kido Orphans.

"The one hundred boys sent to Sanctuary's training grounds from Japan." Marin said. "A few months after they arrived it was discovered that they were all sent by the same organization, called the Kido Foundation. I'm training one of them myself."

"There's another one under my tutelage." The Crystal Saint added. "What does this have to do with the situation Marin was called for?"

Esmeralda continued to hesitate. Finally, as they were just reaching the bottom of the hill that sat between them and the housing area, she spoke.

"There are two members of the Kido Orphans here on Death Queen Island, a pair of siblings named Ikki and Shun."

"And?" Saga prompted after another moment of silence.

"Master Guilty will explain in detail, but the short version is that there was an incident two days ago." Esmeralda said. "Several of the other trainees attacked Shun unprovoked. That was when we found out that it wasn't one hundred boys who were sent to Sanctuary's training grounds. It was ninety-nine boys... and one girl."

"You're saying that this Shun is a girl?" Dimitri clarified. After Esmeralda nodded, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not nearly as familiar with the laws regarding female Saints as I should be, so what am I missing?" He turned to Marin with a curious look on his face.

Marin tilted her chin down in a gesture that, from an Amazon, meant distress or displeasure.

"According to the laws of the Amazons, pretending to be a man is a grave offense. Before the time of Pope Shion, it was an offense punishable by death." She explained.

"Ah." Dimitri said in understanding.

"Fortunately, that law has since been changed. We won't have to execute anyone." Marin added. "But we can't let this go unpunished either."

"I know it isn't any of my business, but I think you should talk to Shun before you make a decision." Esmeralda said. "He-she-hasn't spoken a word since she was caught, but from what his-ergh, her-brother has said, I think there's more to this."

"Well, I can't pass judgement without talking to Shun first." Marin said.

Esmeralda relaxed, some of the tension draining from her shoulders. "Okay." She said.

Silence fell over the group as they crested the hill and found themselves overlooking the housing area of Death Queen Island.

Aiolos stiffened in alarm, even as he heard Dimitri gasp behind him.

'Mess' didn't even begin to describe the scene below them.

Most of the stone buildings were half-destroyed, rubble lay everywhere, and there were several large craters in the ground, the likes of which Aiolos had only seen when Aldebaran used his Great Horn.

"This is worse than I expected." Saga murmured, and the other three Saints had no choice but to agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... What do you think?
> 
> For reference, this chapter is based off the idea that Saga didn't kill the Pope or try to kill Athena.
> 
> I want to turn this into a full story eventually, so feedback would be really appreciated.


	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Legend of Sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. This one is an AU based off Legend of Sanctuary. It's my version of what happens after the end of the battle.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Shura glanced around the remains of entrance to the Pope's chambers. _What a mess._ He thought to himself.

The Gold Saints had survived Saga's attack by the skin of their teeth, and even then only because Shaka's defensive _Kan_ was somehow more powerful than Saga's Athena-powered form. Shura couldn't even begin to guess how the Bronze Saints he and Milo had fought had survived.

Athena stood off to the side with the Pegasus Saint to whom Aiolos's Sagittarius Cloth had just leant itself. The boy was now back in his own half-shattered cloth, the Sagittarius Cloth back in its dormant form. The rest of the Bronze Saints had been quick to gather around them when the Pegasus Saint had landed, as though forming some kind of barrier. The Golds stood nearby.

"We need to start cleaning this mess up." Milo said, knowing someone had to speak up.

"'Mess' doesn't even begin to describe this." Shura said blandly, looking around at what he could only call carnage. "Where do we start?"

"We need to confirm the safety of the people of Sanctuary." Mu said. "Start treating the injured, get a death count. Someone needs to check on the Saintia."

"Mister Mu is right." A voice spoke up. The six Gold Saints looked over to see Athena, looking exhausted and leaning heavily on the Pegasus Saint, moving towards them. "The people should be our first priority." The Goddess spoke with remarkable strength.

"If you will, Lady Athena, let me handle these matters." Mu spoke up. "You are exhausted and need to rest. We Golds can handle the cleanup until you have recovered your strength."

The purple-haired Goddess looked reluctant, but slowly nodded. "Okay. I'll leave this to you."

Mu nodded. "With the Pope's chambers destroyed, the path to Athena's chambers are too hard to reach, we will have to facilitate cleanup from somewhere else."

"I will take us all to the House of Aries." Shaka said. "It should be undamaged and is closer to the rest of Sanctuary, we will be able to receive reports more easily from there."

Mu nodded in agreement.

"Leave me up here, Shaka." Aiolia said quickly. "I'll check on the Saintia and servants in Athena's chambers."

"I'll stay too. Someone need to clear the Twelve Houses." Milo piped up.

"Very well." Shaka agreed. "Does anyone else wish to stay here?"

"I do." The Bronze Saint with the blond hair said. "I've had enough teleportation to last me a lifetime, thanks." If the blonde saw the frowns on his friends' faces, he didn't acknowledge them.

Shaka nodded, then stepped back a bit, gesturing for everyone he was taking down to the House of Aries to gather around him. A flash of light later, and they were all gone.

As he was teleported away, Shura cast one last glance back at Milo, and he wondered.

* * *

Aiolia sighed, letting his shoulders relax once the various Golds, Bronzes, and Athena were gone. He turned to Milo.

"You sure you can handle this?" She asked. She probably saw how guilty Aiolia felt over the day's events, and wanted to spare him from having to see the destruction wrought in the Inner Sanctum.

Aiolia hesitated. "No." He answered after several long moments. "Can you take the Saintias' quarters while I check the Houses?"

"Of course." Milo answered. She turned her attention to the Cygnus Saint. "You can come with one of us if you want, or you can stay here."

"I'll go with Aiolia." Cygnus said. "I need to check something."

"Mmhm." Milo hummed. "I'll see you both later then." With that, she took a running start and jumped, heading in the direction of the Inner Sanctum.

Once she was gone, Aiolia turned his attention to the young Saint standing behind him.

"I never got your name." He stated.

"Hyoga. Cygnus Hyoga."

"Cygnus?" Aiolia mused. "You're Camus's student, aren't you? He's who you want to check on."

The blond Saint hesitated slightly before nodding. "We fought. I think I killed him."

"We Gold Saints are hard to kill." Aiolia told the younger Saint. "Camus has always been good at playing dead too. Follow me."

Hyoga did as he was told without arguing.

The first person they came across was Aphrodite. Aiolia knelt next to the Pisces Saint to check his pulse. Nothing.

"He's dead." He murmured grimly. "Give me a moment." He told Hyoga. The boy nodded.

 _"Mu?"_ Aiolia called through his Cosmo.

 _"Aiolia? What is it?"_ Came the response.

_"I just checked on Aphrodite. Saga's Another Dimension did a number on him. He's dead."_

_"I see. Keep going. We can send someone to collect the body later."_

_"Understood."_

Aiolia bit his lip, but stood up and gestured for Hyoga to follow him.

* * *

Hyoga found himself hesitating slightly as he and Aiolia stepped into the House of Aquarius. Fighting his master was something of a nightmare for him, the sort of thing he had never wanted to experience, but he hadn't had a choice. Camus had insisted upon getting in his way, and he had needed to get back to Saori and the others.

And Camus was dead for it.

Hyoga shook his thoughts away and followed Aiolia over to his master's side.

The Leo Saint was crouched by the Aquarius Saint's side, carefully rolling Camus over onto his back.

There was a long moment of silence as Aiolia checked his pulse. Then, the tension that had colored the Gold's shoulders since finding the Pisces Saint dead abruptly drained away.

Hyoga blinked as Aiolia turned to him, a small smile curling his lips.

"It's okay." Aiolia said. "Camus is alive."

Confusion flooded Hyoga, mixed with relief. He had been so sure that he had killed his master. "What? But how? How did he survive?" He choked out.

It took a moment for Aiolia to answer, his gaze briefly unfocused and his head tilted as though he was listening to something. "I'm not sure. We need to get him down to the House of Aries. Mu will know more about this than me. For now, your master's life isn't in danger."

Hyoga nodded. "We're taking him now?"

Aiolia nodded. "We'll teleport down. It's not hard. Put your hand on my shoulder, and whatever you do, don't let go."

Hyoga did as he was told, gripping the Gold Saint's shoulder. There was a sudden sense of vertigo, as though the whole world had just tipped at a strange angle. Then nothing.

As Hyoga's sight cleared, he saw that they were back in the House of Aries. He glanced around. Of the Gold Saints, only Mu and Shaka were present. Shaka sat against the wall, meditating. Mu was talking to a group of guards.

The Aries Saint turned to them as he dismissed the guards, a smile pulling at his mouth. "Lay him down by the wall there." He ordered.

Hyoga moved around to Camus free side, helping Aiolia to pick up and move the unconscious Saint. Mu approached as they lay the teal-haired man down where he had indicated.

Crouching at Camus's side, Mu reached out and pressed a hand to the other Gold Saint's helmet. Instantly, the Aquarius Cloth began to disassemble itself, shrinking down into its inactive form, an inch-thick slab of gold with the symbol of Aquarius stamped into the side.

Mu moved his hand to Camus's chest. His Cosmo flared briefly before he nodded to himself.

Turning to Hyoga and Aiolia, Mu smiled reassuringly. "I wouldn't worry. Camus is just in a state of cold-induced stasis."

"Cold-induced stasis?" Hyoga asked.

"Yes." Mu answered. "Camus is very resistant to the cold. Enough that your attack was only able to paralyze him. The same thing happened in the early days of Camus's training. Milo knows how to counteract it. I will call her to come down to help once Athena's chambers are cleared out."

Hyoga nodded slowly.

"For now, Aiolia will go back to checking the Twelve Houses. Hyoga, you should stay here. You look exhausted."

Hyoga wanted to argue, but Mu's words struck true, as he suddenly felt extremely tired, as though the exhaustion from the earlier battles of the day had finally kicked in. Instead of arguing, Hyoga just nodded.

"Good." Mu said approvingly.

"I'll be going." Aiolia said, and disappeared with a flash of Cosmo.

As Mu was called away by another Saint, Hyoga leaned against the wall next to his master and slid to the floor.

Everything was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna leave it here for now. Or probably forever.
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment. Hope you liked it.
> 
> See you next time.


	6. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's an unfamiliar Saint at the Galaxian Tournament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I feel like I need to say something here. This idea draws inspiration from the Netflix reboot, Knights of the Zodiac. The reboot is actually how I got into Saint Seiya in the first place, and I don't hate it the way a lot of people who grew up on the original series do. That being said, I'm not drawing only from the reboot. I'm using the original series names, and Shun will be a boy. Since those aren't really spoilers or anything, I figure it's safe to say them.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Shiryu watched the female Saint as she strode up to them. It was strange. The Dragon Saint didn't remember there being any girls among the one hundred orphans the Kido Orphanage had sent to Saint training grounds across the world. For that matter, as far as Shiryu knew, only Kido Orphanage Saints knew about the Galaxian Wars.

"So who are you, exactly?" Jabu asked.

"Esmeralda, Saint of the Columba constellation." The girl answered. She had short-cropped blond hair, and extremely pale skin. Like her fellow Saints, she was already dressed in her Cloth, grey armor with yellow detailing and a pair of tiny wings on the back. Her mask was white with three thin, horizontal black streaks on each cheek, reminding Shiryu of a tiger.

"Columba?" Akio, the redheaded Andromeda Saint asked. "Isn't that a Cloth from Death Queen Island?"

Everyone froze at that, and even Hyoga perked up a bit at the mention of the training ground that was said to be like hell itself.

"Correct." Esmeralda answered. "The Columba Cloth is one of the three Cloths kept on Death Queen Island, along with the Fox and Phoenix Cloths."

"Does that mean you know Shun and Ikki?" Seiya, ever the excitable one, asked.

"Shun and Ikki?" Esmeralda asked. "You know them as well."

Geki frowned. "They were sent from the same orphanage as the rest of us." He told the Amazon.

"I see. Interesting." Esmeralda mused softly.

"So you know what happened to them then?" Shiryu asked. He watched as the blond woman tensed, her shoulders hunching near her ears as she glanced away.

"They're gone." She finally admitted, then, quieter. "I lost both of them."

No one spoke.

* * *

This was a disaster. Their base was destroyed, Saori's life had been put at risk, and the Gold Cloth Had been stolen by the Phoenix Saint.

Shiryu stood with his back to the other Saints. The others were talking with Saori and Tatsumi, while Shiryu stood to the side, thinking. Some thing was bothering him.

Esmeralda had fought alongside them when the Graude Foundation attacked, but she had gone easier on the soldiers than anyone else had. Then, when the Phoenix Saint had gone for the Cloth, she had hesitated to attack.

Shiryu realized he'd have to confront the female Saint.

"Anyway, we need to find the Gold Cloth." Seiya was saying as Shiryu drew his attention back to the group.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Akio practically sneered. Shiryu didn't like Akio. The red-haired boy had been one of the more subtle bullies back in the orphanage, but that didn't meant he was any better than the more obvious ones like Jabu. Now, Akio gave Shiryu a bad feeling every time they were near each other, like an impending sense of doom.

"I don't know." Seiya admitted, looking somewhat defeated.

"Is that what we should be worrying about right now?" Shiryu asked, stepping forward.

"What else do we have to worry about?" Esmeralda asked. "The Gold Cloth is in the hands of the Phoenix Saint, who seems to be working with the Graude Foundation. That should be our main concern."

"No." Shiryu said. "Our main concern is you."

"Me?" The Columba Saint asked.

"Her?" Hyoga snorted.

"Yes. You." Shiryu said to Esmeralda, keeping his gaze serious. "You're a Saint from Death Queen Island, you admitted it yourself. You held back against the Graude Foundation soldiers, and you hesitated to attack the Phoenix Saint. Admit it. You're working with the Graude Foundation."

Silence fell. Then, finally. "What?" Seiya whispered. He turned to stare at Esmeralda "Is it true?"

Esmeralda sighed. "Yes. And no." She finally answered.

"What do you mean?" Saori asked.

"To explain that, I need to tell you all the truth."

"And what's the truth?" Akio demanded.

"The truth is that I need your help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part. I'll probably end up posting more in a later chapter.
> 
> See you all later.


	7. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone has a request to make of her most loyal bodyguard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is an idea I've been playing with in a number of different ways since forever ago, but I just got enough inspiration to write it.
> 
> And yes, I know I should be working on Justice, but this was bothering me too much not to write it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Bennu Kagaho stood, staring at the door in front of him. He shouldn't be so nervous. It was just his Lady on the other side of the door.

Steeling himself, Kagaho knocked on the door. "Lady Persephone? It's me, Kagaho."

"Come in." Came the soft call from the other side of the door.

Kagaho opened the door and stepped through into the room. Beyond the door was a spacious bedchamber, with a large fourposter bed with curtains in one corner and a door leading to a balcony across from the entry door. Several bookshelves were arranged around the room.

Persephone, goddess of spring and wife of Hades, sat in a large, overstuffed armchair in one corner of the large room. Her spring green hair fell in long waves down her back and over her shoulders. A book sat in her lap.

She smiled softly as Kagaho approached and knelt in front of her, soft blue-green eyes shining with fondness.

"Lady Persephone, how can I be of service to you?"

"There is no need to kneel, Kagaho." Persephone said. "You are as much a friend as a guardian. And I have a favor to ask of that friend."

"A favor, My Lady?" Kagaho asked.

"I need you to help me leave this place. I need to get to the Cycle."

Kagaho jerked, his head snapping up as he stared at the woman in shock.

"The Cycle of Reincarnation, Lady Persephone? Are you crazy? Why would you need to go there?"

"I can no longer stay here." Persephone said softly. "Do not get me wrong, Kagaho, I love Lord Hades, but his crusade to end the humans is getting out of hand."

The Bennu Spectre hesitated. He knew how determined his Lord was to destroy the humans, and he also knew that Lady Persephone didn't approve, but he had never expected it to come to this.

"My Lady, you realize what will happen if Lord Hades catches us, right?"

"I do," Persephone murmured. "But I don't see any other choice. Please, Kagaho, I cannot watch the human race be destroyed."

"So you intend to join them?" Kagaho demanded, staring accusingly at the queen of the Underworld.

"Not exactly, but the Cycle of Reincarnation is my only chance at escape. I cannot return to Olympus any longer."

Kagaho hesitated. Lord Hades had assigned him to take care of Lady Persephone, had instructed him to do whatever she asked of him. He gritted his teeth.

"Very well." He said. "Follow me."

Persephone smiled, and stood up, placing the book that she had been reading on the table next to her chair.

The two Underworld residents stepped out onto Persephone's balcony, and, without prompting, Kagaho picked up his Lady and took to the skies.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the entrance to the Cycle of Reincarnation, with Kagaho's ability to fly and his knowledge of the Underworld, he was able to reach the Cycle without being caught.

Persephone stared at the dark gateway that lead into Reincarnation. The dark archway was as much a defense as anything, its unwelcoming sight a way to dissuade the dead from attempting to step through.

Slowly, she turned to the Bennu Spectre and smiled. "Thank you, Kagaho. You have no idea how much this means to me." With that, she stepped forward, ready to enter into the Cycle.

"Wait!" Kagaho's cry had her stopping as he grabbed her wrist.

"What is it?" She asked, turning back to stare at the Spectre.

Kagaho stared at her for a moment, then glanced away. "Lord Hades would never forgive me if something happened to you. I'll go with you."

Persephone's expression softened. "I know how loyal you are to my husband, Kagaho. You don't need to separate yourself from him for me."

"That's not what matters. I can't risk you getting hurt." Kagaho insisted, lifting his gaze to stare into the goddess's eyes.

Finally, Persephone nodded. "Very well. We have no time to lose. Follow me."

Kagaho nodded. Together, goddess and Spectre went to step into the archway.

Just as they were about to step through, a laugh reached their ears. Cold and menacing, the sound sent shivers up both their spines.

"You thought you could get away from me so easily?" It was Hades.

Persephone bit her lip. Gripping Kagaho's hand, she took the last step.

And screamed as a burning pain raced across her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... What do you think? I thought this one was interesting, but I can say pretty much for sure that I'll never be writing more for this.
> 
> See you next time


	8. Cerberus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiolia makes a trip to Sicily to investigate an issue brought to the attention of the Pope of Sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeeeaaah… so. Here's another chapter of Infinite Possibilities.
> 
> Apparently being stuck at home is good for my inspiration. Just... not the inspiration I'd like it to be good for.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" A voice demanded. Aiolia turned towards the voice and blinked at the sight that greeted him.

A boy, not much older than ten, stood behind him. He was dressed in a Cloth, and his posture was defensive, almost hostile.

Aiolia frowned. Last he'd checked, that being about an hour ago, the Cerberus Saint was a fully grown man well into his forties.

"Well?" Came the impatient demand.

Aiolia sighed. "My name is Aiolia. I was sent here by Sanctuary because Cerberus Daniel failed to report in a week ago. Who are you?"

"Sanctuary?" The boy hissed, ignoring Aiolia's question. "I've been trying to contact Sanctuary for months and they only start to care when some old bastard doesn't report in?"

"What do you mean, you've been trying to contact us for months?" Aiolia asked. "And what is your name?"

The boy snarled. "My name is Cerberus Dante. And I've been writing messages in my- in that bastard's reports trying to get help every week for three months."

The Leo Saint stared. Now that he took a moment to look closely, he could see that the boy was indeed wearing the Cerberus Cloth. It had changed form slightly, by the looks of it, as Cloths were wont to do when they changed owners, but the spiked ball-and-chain, one of the few weapons allowed to the Saints of Athena, was a dead giveaway.

"I can tell you're not lying. Why do you think you need help? What is going on here? And what happened to your master?"

"My master is dead. I killed him." Dante spat. "He deserved it after everything he's done to us."

"Us?" Aiolia queried.

Dante was silent for a long moment, eyeing Aiolia thoughtfully. Finally, he spoke.

"If I show you, do you promise not to hurt us?"

His question caught Aiolia off-guard. He looked serious enough. Why could the boy possibly be so dead-set on Aiolia promising not to hurt him. And what did he mean by 'us'? Not that it mattered. Aiolia had been instructed to do whatever was necessary to get answers, and he would have to take this new Cerberus Saint out if he proved to be a threat. Slowly, the Gold Saint nodded. "I promise."

Dante nodded in response. "Good. Follow me." He turned and walked away, the tense line of his shoulders suggesting that he expected Aiolia to attack him at any time. Smart boy.

Aiolia followed Dante along the path he had been following before, but before they reached the area that Aiolia had been told was used as the Sicily training ground, they turned off the main path onto a smaller one that the Leo Saint would have missed if Dante hadn't lead him down it.

"Is this...?" Aiolia started to ask, and trailed off, unsure where he was going with the question.

"This is the way to the camp." Dante told him, not looking back.

They walked in silence for several more minutes, then stepped between a pair of large outcroppings of rock. Past that, Aiolia saw what he could only assume was the camp.

It wasn't much of a camp really. It was a clearing in between outcroppings of rock, bare of anything bigger than a small bump in the ground. Something that could pass for a well was visible to Aiolia's left, and two buildings were situated on the other side of the clearing.

Dante headed for the smaller of the two buildings, which was little more than a shack if Aiolia was being honest. Which he was.

"This is our home." Dante told Aiolia. "You need to be quiet. She's kind of jumpy around people."

"Who is she?" Aiolia asked, growing exasperated with the young Saint's refusal to give anything away.

Dante ignored him, opening the door to the shack and stepping inside. He turned back and beckoned Aiolia to join him. The Leo Saint stepped inside the shack and took a quick look around.

There was about as much as he'd expected. A one room building with a small shelf in one corner, and two small beds, if they could be called that. They were more like piles of blankets. The one closer to the door was empty, but the one in the far corner was occupied.

 _A child?_ Aiolia wondered. The figure in the bed was too small to be anything else, although the only thing Aiolia could see of them was a mop of green hair.

"Seph?" Dante called quietly. The little bundle of blankets in the far bed shifted, but otherwise didn't respond.

Dante darted over to the bed, kneeling down and reaching out for the figure in the bed.

"Seph?" He called again. "Are you awake?"

Still no answer.

Aiolia hesitantly stepped over to the bed next to Dante and reached out. Ignoring the boy's quiet growl, he pulled the blanket back.

What he saw made him freeze. A small child of indeterminate gender, with bright green hair, lay in the bed, their face twisted in discomfort. If what Dante had said was anything to go by, the child was a girl.

"Is this the 'us' you were talking about?" Aiolia asked. At Dante's nod, he grimaced. "How did she get here?"

"Cerberus Daniel brought her back after a trip a year ago." Dante explained. "I don't know where she came from. He said she was the backup plan. In case I didn't qualify for the Cerberus Cloth. Guess that was his mistake."

The words "a year ago" struck Aiolia, a memory from about that far back striking him. Words echoed in his head, things said at a Gold Saint meeting when a certain situation was brought to the attention of Pope Shion.

_"Missing from Andromeda Island."_

_"Green hair."_

_"Just a child."_

"Has she told you her name?" Aiolia queried.

"She doesn't speak." Dante shook his head. "At least, she hasn't said a word since she got here. I just call her Seph."

Aiolia didn't bother asking where the name had come from. There was a more important thought bothering him.

"I think her name is Shun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? I guess it cuts off at a weird spot, but don't all of these stories do that?
> 
> See you soon! (Hopefully with a new chapter of Justice).


	9. Rodario I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in Rodario turns disastrous for Shun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Infinite Possibilities chapter nine. This time, excitement. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masam

Shun sighed as she walked through the village of Rodario outside Sanctuary, keeping her head down a bit.

Among the Saints of Athena, there were the Bronze and Silver Saints, along with the Twelve Gold Saints of the Zodiac.

The Gold Saints were the most powerful of Athena's Saints, and were tasked with the immediate and direct protection of the goddess herself.

The Silver Saints had a commander of their own, Silver Lizard Misty in this generation, who was in charge of commanding the Silvers with the protection of Sanctuary in general, as well as with searching for signs of impending Holy Wars.

The Bronze Saints, as the lowest ranking of Athena's Saints, didn't have their own commander. What they did have, was the Legendary Vanguard. The five Bronze Saints who were tasked with leading the rest of the Bronzes into battle against the enemies of their goddess. The Vanguard always consisted of the same five Saints, chosen by Athena herself over the course of many Holy Wars, who reincarnated alongside their goddess to fight in the Holy Wars.

The full Vanguard had finally assembled just recently.

Pegasus Seiya.

Dragon Shiryu.

Cygnus Hyoga.

Phoenix Ikki.

And then there was Shun, the Andromeda Saint.

Shun had long since gotten used to the level of respect that was afforded to her as a member of the Vanguard, both by the other Saints and by the civilians in Rodario, just outside Sanctuary. But there were days when Shun really missed the days of her training, when things were simpler and no one looked at her twice.

That was what brought Shun to where she was now, disguised as a simple civilian of Rodario in order to do some shopping without the constant attempts of the citizens to give her free food. Not that free food was a bad thing, but Shun always felt bad, knowing that these shops were the lively hoods of the people.

It hadn't been hard to disguise herself. Shun had bought some simple clothes during her last outing into Rodario a few weeks ago. That, combined with plain brown hair, courtesy of one Pisces Aphrodite, pulled into a simple ponytail, and Shun could easily pass as a normal person, rather than a Saint. She had not left her Cloth behind, the small dog tag on a chain around her neck a strange but simple comfort.

It was refreshing, being able to wander around the village without people crowding her to ask questions or offer help. Already, Shun had acquired some fruits and vegetables for the Zodiac House where she was staying.

Being a member of the Vanguard, Shun was afforded a better living situation than most Bronze Saints got. Instead of a small house in the residential division of Sanctuary, Shun lived in the Zodiac House that corresponded to her own sign. In this case, the House of Virgo. Her older brother, Ikki, lived in the House of Leo. Seiya was situated in the House of Sagittarius, while Hyoga lived with his master's old teacher in the House of Aquarius. Shiryu was a Libra, but with the House of Libra standing empty, he spent most of his time in the House of Aries with Master Mu.

Shun stopped at a stand selling peaches, the sweet smell of the fruit drawing her attention. Master Shaka would most likely not approve of her bringing any home, as he believed in living a frugal life with no indulgences, but he wouldn't scold Shun for buying one to eat while she was in the village. Already Shun partook in many of the Virgo Saint's living practices, so the blond man did not attempt to force Shun to live exactly as he did.

As Shun was reaching into her belt pouch to grab the coins to pay for a peach, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screaming in the distance. She almost dropped the coins as she whipped around to stare in the direction of the screaming.

There, in the distance, was plume of dust and smoke.

Shun didn't hesitate, and took off running, dropping her bag of vegetables in the process as she headed in the direction of the screams.

It took longer than Shun would have liked to reach the source of the smoke, but there were crowds of people running in the opposite direction that Shun was going in. It made the girl feel like a fish swimming up stream.

Finally, Shun was able to slip into an empty side street, making her way around the majority of the crowds. She reached the source of the smoke a matter of moments after that.

Pressing herself against the side of a building, Shun leaned around the corner, peering cautiously into the dense cloud of dust and smoke. She couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, a figure came flying out of the smoke and straight past Shun's hiding place.

The temporarily brown-haired girl ducked back behind her building, turning to watch the figure that had escaped the smoke.

It was a man, blond hair obscuring his eyes, clad in dark purple armor.

Shun froze. The man was a Spectre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. So, that happened. Hope you liked it.
> 
> See you next time.


	10. Rodario II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shun finds an unexpected ally among the disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A continuation of a previous chapter? Shocking!
> 
> (No seriously, this is pretty surprising. Hopefully I'll be able to turn this into a full story some day.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Shun stared at the Spectre in front of her. This was bad. The last thing that Sanctuary needed right now was Spectres.

Then Shun realized that the Spectre was not the only thing that had come flying out of the dust cloud.

Across the main street, standing near a flower shop, was some kind of strange beast. It was vaguely canine in shape, and almost looked like it was made of shadows, or perhaps just straight up darkness.

As Shun watched, the creature snarled and threw itself at the Spectre, teeth bared and claws extended.

The Spectre met the beast with something like a growl of his own, catching its jaw and flipping it over, then slamming it into the ground.

"Wyvern's... Roar!" The Spectre shouted. A blast of pure force shot from his raised fist, striking the creature and throwing Shun painfully against the wall of the building.

The beast yelped in pain and then seemed to almost dissipate into thin air. Struggling not to slump to the ground, Shun looked up, and froze as her eyes met the Spectre's own. Silently, they stared at each other for a moment before the Spectre spoke.

"Get out of here!" He ordered in a commanding voice. Shun could do little more than stare in shock as the Spectre threw himself forward and back into the half-dissipated dust cloud.

Shaking off the shock of the Spectre speaking to her and the pain of being thrown against the wall behind her, Shun reached up and grabbed her Cloth tag off her neck. Throwing it in the air, she called quietly.

"Andromeda."

A glowing circle of runes spread out across the ground in front of Shun, and the Andromeda Pandora's Box rose out of it, splitting open to reveal the Andromeda Cloth.

Shun raised one hand, silently calling to the Cloth. The sounds of continued fighting reached her ears as she felt the Cloth falling into place on her body. It was strangely comforting, the feel of the armor and the weight of the accompanying chains.

Now wearing her armor, Shun leaned around the corner of her building again, peaking at the ongoing fight.

With the dust cloud cleared, she could see that there were actually three Spectres, the blonde one and two others that Shun couldn't get a good look at, other than the wings on their armor.

The three of them were fighting a group of the same strange beast-creatures the likes of which the blonde Spectre had destroyed a few moments earlier.

Shun gritted her teeth. The people of Rodario were in danger. Even now, Shun could see several people running away in the distance.

By all appearances, the Spectres were doing their best to keep the beasts contained in the small area they were in now, but they were seriously outnumbered, and it was a losing battle. Normally, Shun's first action upon seeing Spectres would be to run and get help, but they currently seemed to be all that stood between the beasts and Rodario.

Shun took a quick breath, then threw herself forward towards a beast that was attempting to sneak up on one of the Spectres. As she did, she threw out a quick, half-baked telepathic call to any Saint who was nearby.

 _"Spectres in Rodario!_ " It wasn't much, but Shun could hope that it would reach someone, anyone really.

"Nebula Chain!" The Andromeda Saint cried. The square chain end shot out, wrapping around the beast and shocking it with electricity. The strange creature let out a high-pitched screech and disappeared is a swirl of darkness.

Shun landed behind the Spectre, already focusing on the nearest beast, which had noticed her and was headed in her direction.

"Rolling Defense." Shun growled. The circle chain end swirled around her and the Spectre at her back, knocking away the beasts that charged them.

"What are you doing?" Came the disbelieving snarl from the Spectre.

"Giving us a moment to breath." Shun snapped back. "What are these?"

She turned to glance at the Spectre, meeting his slightly startled black eyes with her own green ones.

"You're-" The Spectre started.

"No time." Shun interrupted. "What are these things?" She repeated her question.

"Shadow beasts. From Tartarus." The Spectre growled. "Drop your defense. We need to get rid of these things before they can destroy the village."

Shun blinked, a little surprised that this Spectre cared about the village that Spectres had been known to attack in the past.

Then she shook her head clear of the thought.

Dropping her Rolling Defense, Shun focused her attention on keeping the shadow beasts from sneaking up on the Spectres. It was how she fought with the rest of the Vanguard, and it was working quite well here too.

But of course, no battle tactic works with everyone. Shun was so focused on watching the Spectres' backs that she forgot that there was no one watching her back in return.

A growl drew Shun's attention. The girl whipped around, only to shriek as she was bowled over by a shadow beast that had snuck up on _her._

The creature knocked the young Saint to the ground, even as its form morphed from that of a canine to something more humanoid, and its hand-or the shadow beast equivalent-closed around her neck.

Shun struggled, but the creature had her solidly pinned down, and as it squeezed harder Shun found it increasingly difficult to focus enough to direct her chains to knock it away.

Spots started to invade Shun's vision as she struggled to breath around the hands around her throat. The shadow beast had nearly monstrous strength, and it felt like it was attempting to crush her windpipe in its grip.

As her vision started to blacken and her body started to go numb, Shun was fairly sure she heard the sound of something cracking, and a blinding pain shot through her body.

Suddenly, there was a muffled shout, and the weight pinning Shun down was gone, along with the hands around her neck. Shun rolled onto her side then pushed herself to her hand and knees, coughing as she struggled to draw in a proper breath. But every gasp of air seemed to burn her throat.

Around her, the sounds of fighting were starting to calm down, and as Shun sat back on her heels peaking around her, she saw that all but one or two of the shadow beasts was gone.

She also saw flashes of gold that were easily identifiable as Gold Saints. Several of them.

All too soon, the fight was over. With the addition of several Gold Saints, the beasts stood no chance and were quickly and efficiently vanquished.

Shun closed her eyes, letting the tension in her body drain, only to feel a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked.

Shun looked up and found herself staring at the dark-eyed Spectre who she had spoken to before.

Before she had a chance to respond, another voice spoke up.

"You have exactly five seconds to step away from her, Spectre." Scorpio Milo snarled, his red-painted nail pointed at the back of the Spectre's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? What is this? I don't even know what to think myself.
> 
> Anyway. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I might actually turn this one into a real story one day.


	11. Insight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seiya isn't the only one with something comforting and insightful to say to Saori when they talk by the waterfall. A remake of a scene from the Netflix remake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on I will be noting down the concept that prompted me to write each story as the summary of the chapter.
> 
> Yeah. I know. I did use the classic series names because I'm more used to using them.
> 
> I also rewrote this a little bit. It kind of cut off at a weird place, and I figured I could add a little more.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"They say Fate is a cruel mistress, but I don't believe that. I think that what most people call 'Fate' is just their way of forcing their own expectations onto you. But that's the funny thing about Fate. Your fate is your own, not anyone else's. And the way I see it, you can either lie down and accept the fate others have drawn out for you, or, you can stand up. You can fight to make your own path."

"Huh?" Saori asked as she turned to stare a Shun. The Andromeda Saint smiled at her.

"Miss Alanna said that to me when I was just a kid."

"Who is Miss Alanna?" Seiya asked.

"The Cassiopeia Saint." Shun explained. "When I was just a kid, right after I arrived on Andromeda Island, me and the other trainees were told the myth of Andromeda, about how she sacrificed herself for her people. I remember getting so mad when I heard it. I couldn't focus on training, or lectures, or my chores, or anything at all because I was so mad. Eventually, Miss Alanna pulled me aside. That's when I just... kind of snapped. I just didn't get it. 'If the Andromeda Saint is destined to die, then why do we have one at all? Why can't we just throw the Andromeda Cloth in the deepest, darkest hole Sanctuary has to offer, and leave it there permanently?' I asked.

"That's when Miss Alanna said that to me. I think it's pretty applicable here too."

"And how does a saying about fate apply here?" Hyoga scoffed.

"Because everyone is saying Athena is 'fated' to fail in her duty to protect humanity?" Shun suggested, making a face at the Cygnus Saint. She turned to stare at Saori. "What you said is right. A bunch of complete strangers have decided what you're going to do with your life based on some prophecy, but if that's not what you want do, then why listen to them? Make your own destiny."

Saori's expression softened. "That's a nice sentiment. Your Miss Alanna must be very wise."

"She was." Shun agreed, then she chuckled. "She was also a mean hand with a whip. I've got the scars to prove it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm not sure what else to write, so I'll leave it here.
> 
> See you soon.


	12. Reflective I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shun is more than she appears. Based off the Netflix remake, but using the classic names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Here's another one.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

After she and her brother are separated and sent to train as Saints, Shun spends the first six months in Sanctuary.

She doesn't understand until she's been there for a few weeks and her trainer, Cerberus Dante, takes her to the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac.

The first House, Aries, is empty. Master Dante claims that it has been so for nearly a decade, but refuses to answer why.

The second House is Taurus. Shun likes Taurus Aldebaran. He's kind of like a big, friendly giant who smiles and ruffles her hair with his large hand. There's something off in his gaze that Shun can't quite read, but she doesn't have time to think about it.

After that is Gemini. There's no one there. Apparently, the Gemini Saint died on a mission a long time ago. Shun doesn't say anything, but she gets a weird feeling when she walks through the House, like there's someone watching her from the shadows.

Cancer is Shun's least favorite House. Master Dante walks quickly through this House, fast enough that Shun has to jog to keep up, but Shun is glad they don't stay for long. The faces on the walls seem to watch her, and once or twice Shun stares too long at the empty pits where a person's eyes used to be and almost throws up.

The House of Leo is much warmer and more welcoming. Leo Aiolia smiles at Shun, and nods lightly at Master Dante. Shun thinks the Leo Saint looks very sad, but she can't quite bring herself to say anything to him.

Virgo is a very nice House, Shun thinks. It smells of some kind of flowers, lavender maybe. Shun doesn't get to meet the Virgo Saint. Instead, a Silver Saint named Shiva leads them through the House and to the other side. He says that "Master Shaka" is busy meditating, and will see them on the way down.

The House of Libra is also empty. Apparently, the Libra Saint has things to do elsewhere.

Scorpio Milo is a lot to take in at once. He's bright and flamboyant, and Shun isn't sure what to make of him, but he's nice enough, and gives her a pastry one of the servants of his House made. It's delicious and Shun thanks the man profusely for the gift, which she takes her time with as they make their way up to the ninth House.

Sagittarius is the saddest House. Master Dante tells Shun that the guardian of this House, Sagittarius Aiolos, was a traitor who died when he tried to save the life of the baby Athena. It is now that he stops and tells Shun of the prophecy, that Athena will fail and destroy all of humanity. She doesn't say anything, but Shun thinks it's sad that everyone believes the goddess they're supposed to protect will fail. Shouldn't they have more faith?

Number ten is the House of Capricorn. Its guardian, Shura, is a quiet and focused man, who pauses in his training-at least, Shun assumes the motions he's doing are some kind of training-just long enough to nod. Master Dante tells Shun that Sir Shura is one of the ones responsible for hunting down the traitorous Aiolos. Vaguely, Shun wonders if Aiolia is related to Aiolos, and if that's why he looks so sad. Shun knows she'd be sad too, if her brother was a traitor.

The eleventh House is Aquarius, and it is here that Shun sees the first child she's seen in the hours since they'd started this trek up to the Pope's chambers. Hyoga can't be much older than Shun, if he is at all, and he watches her with piercing blue eyes that make Shun shiver slightly with how cold they are. His master, Aquarius Camus, is no warmer in attitude, and watches impassively until they have passed his House.

Last is the House of Pisces. Master Dante tells Shun to be wary of this House, but it doesn't stop Shun from being caught off guard by the beautiful rose gardens. Pisces Aphrodite is probably the most beautiful person Shun has ever seen, and it is not until he speaks that Shun realizes he is a man, not a woman. He smiles and calls Shun cute, tucking a rose behind her ear. Master Dante looks wary, until Sir Aphrodite tells him it's a "safe" rose. Shun has no idea what that means.

Shun doesn't like the Pope. From the moment she lays eyes on him as she and Master Dante step into the main hall of the Pope's quarters, Shun thinks there is something very wrong with this man. She can practically see the darkness coming off of him in waves, and it takes everything she has not to hide behind her master. Instead, Shun kneels when her master does, keeps her gaze carefully on the ground like she was instructed to before they began their journey through the Twelve Houses.

* * *

"You met the Pope?" Seiya looks like he wants to jump up and start yelling.

Shun nods. "I was sent to Sanctuary to train to be the Aries Gold Saint. It took them six months to figure out I'm a Virgo. I'd never seen someone as angry as the Pope was when Master Dante took me to tell him. I thought he was going to kill us both."

Shun, Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Saori, and Tatsumi are all situated at their waterfall meeting place, sitting or standing around doing nothing of import. Shun isn't even sure why she's telling this story, just that it kind of slipped out. But everyone is listening, so she supposes it's not so bad.

Hyoga eyes her for a long moment, then speaks. "Is that when you were sent to Andromeda Island?"

Shun starts to nod, then hesitates, shrugs. "It was two weeks before I could go anywhere, but yes, that's when I was sent to Andromeda Island."

No one asks why she couldn't go anywhere. Shun is very, very grateful for that. She's not sure she's ready to tell them just how bad things are in Sanctuary under the current Pope.

That is a story for another time. Saori has proven to be far too sensitive to hear something like that right now, not when she's already so troubled by the prophecy.

* * *

By the time Shun, Shiryu, and Hyoga have gotten free of Crow Jamian's bizarre feather trap, the Silver Saint is long gone, Saori in tow and Seiya in hot pursuit.

Fortunately, Shiryu is nothing if not adept at sensing Cosmo, and he locates the direction in which the three have gone with relative ease. It's a matter of minutes, of making sure Tatsumi is alive and breathing, before they are on their way to help.

Along with being the best at sensing Cosmo, Shiryu is the fastest of their little group, Shun is fairly sure of this fact. But for once, Shun finds herself in the front. She's not sure what's driving her to push herself to go so fast, just that she can't stop, even when Hyoga yells for her to slow down. At some point, she's out of earshot, and she doesn't feel bad in the least.

Ikki is there when she arrives.

He's in the middle of a fierce battle with Cerberus Dante, and Shun almost doesn't stop them.

Master Dante was anything but kind to her in the six months he trained her. He pushed her harder than anyone but her own brother ever pushed her, even harder than Master Daidalos and Miss Alanna on Andromeda Island, but Shun will acknowledge that she learned a lot from him in those six months.

She doesn't want to fight him. She also doesn't have a choice if she wants to save Saori. It doesn't take a genius to see that Ikki isn't interested in the young goddess.

Instead of attacking head on, Shun directs her chains to hit the ground between them.

Ikki looks up, sneers. He doesn't radiate hate in waves the way he did before, but he's not the brother she knew when they were little. Shun doubts he'll ever be that Ikki again.

"If you're here," Ikki says, "Then the others can't be far behind. I'll leave these two to you. Even you can probably handle them."

Shun bites her lip, doesn't call out to her brother when he turns and starts to walk away. Master Dante, however, does.

"You're crazy if you think I'm just going to let you get away, Phoenix." He snarls, and sends one of his spiked balls shooting at Ikki.

Shun is faster, however, as she uses her own chains to wrap Master Dante's up.

"I'll be your opponent." Shun declares firmly.

"Dante, would you wrap this up already?" The other Silver Saint groans, looking supremely bored.

"I'm working on it." Master Dante snaps, attempting to pull his chains free of Shun's.

Shun takes the moment of distraction to jump down in front of Saori, planting herself firmly in between her goddess and the Silver Saints who would do her or the unconscious Seiya harm.

"You had best step aside, little girl. You don't know what you're dealing with." Master Dante snarls.

Shun takes a deep breath. "I know exactly what I'm dealing with, thanks. You don't scare me."

"Well maybe I should." The man spits back.

Shun takes no pleasure in killing her former master.

She appreciates being turned to stone even less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of this take on Shun? I'll probably end up writing more in this universe eventually.
> 
> See you soon.


	13. Reflective II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shun is more than she appears. Based off the Netflix remake, but using the classic names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here I am again! This is part two of the last chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Being petrified is a wholly unpleasant experience, Shun decides. She can't see, she can't hear, and she can't feel. All she can sense is the Cosmo around her.

In the distance, and slowly getting farther away, there is her brother's Cosmo.

Closer, much closer, she can sense the weak burn of Seiya's Cosmo. He's hurt, but not dead. Not yet, at least.

She senses it the moment Hyoga is turned to stone, feels the way his Cosmo goes completely, utterly still. It makes her want to scream.

Within moments, Saori's Cosmo starts to feel wrong, like it's slowing at a painfully snail-like pace. Shiryu's Cosmo, too.

The faint burst of Shiryu's Cosmo almost passes under her notice, but only almost.

It's over a moment later. Perseus Algol is dead, and they are all turned back to normal.

Well, mostly.

Shun wants to scream when she realizes what Shiryu has given up for them. Shiryu assures them it is a small price to pay. It doesn't make her feel any better.

She is tired of people having to make sacrifices in this foolish war. She is tired of watching her loved ones fall before her.

(Vaguely, Shun wonders where this thought comes from. She doesn't have an answer.)

* * *

"What do you mean, did you feel it when Shiryu's Cosmo spiked?" Hyoga asks, looking thoroughly confused.

"You mean you didn't sense it?" Shun blinks at the blond Saint. "Shiryu's Cosmo spiked while he was fighting the Perseus Saint. While we were turned to stone."

"Stone people can't sense things, Shun. It's not possible." Hyoga's words are blunt. "When I was turned to stone there was nothing. Just pure blackness with my thoughts to keep me company. Nothing else."

Shun gets the feeling that even saying those words is unpleasant, like he doesn't want to think about it to hard. She doesn't blame him.

"Then how do you explain what I felt? It's not like the Medusa Shield failed to work or something!" Shun protests. She's very sure of what she felt.

Saori is frowning as she watches her Saints argue.

"Perhaps," She says slowly, "This has nothing to do with the Medusa Shield, and has everything to do with Shun herself."

"What does that mean?" Seiya asks.

Saori sighs. "I don't know." She admits. "Call it intuition, but have you ever done something that shouldn't be possible? Something beyond even what a Saint is capable of, Shun?"

"Beyond even what a Saint is capable of?" Shun echoes, then frowns.

She stands up. "I'll be right back." She says, and leaves the room, ignoring her friends' confused looks.

It is the work of a moment grab a small pile of dirt from outside and bring it back in.

"You're showing us... dirt?" Hyoga is making that face again, the one where he looks unrelentingly skeptical. Shun hates that face.

"No. I'm showing you something that shouldn't be possible." Shun says simply.

Shun is quick to set the dirt down on the table, shaping it into a small pile, then digging into one of her pockets and pulling out the flower she'd left in there over a week ago. It's a rose, wilted now though.

She plants the rose in the dirt, tucking the stem in firmly so that it stands up. Then she sits back, hands folded neatly in her lap.

Slowly, Shun starts to hum. She stares intently at the rose as she does. She doesn't need to look up, doesn't need to see her friends' judgmental faces. She'd gotten enough of that from the others on Andromeda Island when they'd found out she liked to sing.

It happens slowly, slower than it would if she actually sang like she normally does, but the rose begins to regain its life, perking up again.

In a matter of moments, several more roses have sprouted from the pile of dirt in the form of a tiny bush.

Shun stops singing.

Everyone stares.

"Did you just... make a flower grow by singing?" Seiya asks.

Shun hesitates to answer. Shiryu gets there first.

"No. She didn't." He says. Then, "Look, all of you."

Everyone follows Shiryu's pointing finger, looking at Shun. She shrinks back under their stares.

"Oh." Seiya mumbles. "You're hands are glowing."

Shun glances down. Seiya is right, her hands are glowing a soft green.

"Oh yeah, that happens whenever I do this." Shun admits.

"You've made plants grow before?" Saori asks.

Shun hesitates.

* * *

For as long as Shun can remember, she has heard a song in her dreams. It is the only part of her dreams that she remembers, but it is always the same song, and Shun knows it by heart by the time she is five years old.

The first time she sings the song, she is alone on the shore of Andromeda Island, waiting for her new master to come get her. The captain of the boat that had brought her to the island had pushed her off the boat into chin-deep water and made her swim the rest of the way.

Shun is soaked and exhausted by the time she reaches the shore, and she wants nothing but to lie down and sleep, but she thinks that might be a bad idea, so she doesn't.

Instead, she sings. She sings the entire song from her dreams, and when she is done there are unfamiliar flowers growing in a circle around her, and she is so tired she falls asleep right there, in spite of her best efforts to stay awake.

No one comments on the flowers on the beach after Shun wakes up, and she doesn't say anything either. The dream song becomes her only comfort in a world of harsh training and even harsher weather.

When they find out, most of her fellow trainees will tease her, tell her that only girls sing. Shun isn't sure how to tell them she is a girl. Something tells her that is a bad idea.

She will find out she was right when she is twelve years old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we'll end it there. I'm thinking I might move this into its own story, because I have a feeling I'm going to be writing more of it than just these two chapters.
> 
> See you soon!


	14. Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concept: Hyoga is suspicious of his fellow Right Ones. Written in the Netflix remake, but using the classic series names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is yet another chapter.
> 
> Yeah, I know I'm writing a lot of these, but this is my current muse, and so it will be for a while. (I've been rewatching the Netflix remake, and it's given me so many ideas.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

_Cygnus Hyoga, your mission is to infiltrate the Galaxian Wars, eliminate the participating Saints, and kill the goddess Athena._

_Signed, The Pope of Sanctuary_

Orders rarely come directly from the Pope of Sanctuary himself, and when they do, they are usually important.

This, Hyoga reflects on as he watches the match between Pegasus Seiya and Dragon Shiryu.

But the truly interesting part of his orders isn't the order to kill Athena and the Saints who have been caught planning to fight for personal gain, but what had come with it.

_Expect to find an ally among the Saints participating in the tournament._

The letter had said that at the bottom, and as Hyoga looks around, he wonders who the last line refers to.

Obviously, it can't be Wolf, Hydra, Bear, or Lionet. If it had been they wouldn't have left, but would have found an excuse to stay and watch instead.

But that leaves a pretty short list.

Hyoga doubts it's Seiya. The boy is far too honest, wouldn't be able to hide his true intentions to save his life.

Unicorn Jabu is another undeniable no. The blond boy is far too infatuated with Saori be willing to kill her. Unless that's a cover, which Hyoga doubts.

Shiryu is a possibility. The Dragon Saint is stoic enough to hide any ill intent, and he had been trained by Old Master Dohko of Lushan. If anyone is likely to have gotten an order like Hyoga has, it's him.

It can't be Tatsumi, Mitsumasa Kido's loyal right hand man and Saori's legal guardian, nor is it likely to be any of the low-ranking Kido security guards.

That doesn't really leave many options. There is only one person left, and Hyoga doesn't know enough about them to say for sure.

Hyoga turns his gaze from the heavily once-sided match in front of him to the platform high up above, across from where Saori and Tatsumi are located, where the Gold Sagittarius Cloth Box sits.

Next to the Cloth Box is a girl, dressed in a green shirt, black leggings, and white suspender-shorts, her green hair cut short. She sits on the platform, legs hanging almost carelessly over the edge, her posture straight, and her hands braced on either side of her. Hyoga doesn't know her name, or where she's from, but he gets the feeling she's somehow connected to Saori, because she almost looks like she's guarding the Cloth Box.

Hyoga turns his attention back to the fight in front of him in just time to see Seiya hit Shiryu with his Pegasus Meteor Fist. The match is over.

After that it is a mad rush as Jabu pulls Shiryu into a standing position and holds him there while Seiya gathers the strength for the single punch needed to restart Shiryu's heart. It works, and the medics cart both boys away to get checked out.

There is a break after that.

* * *

When everyone gathers after the break, Jabu pats Hyoga on the arm.

"Good luck this time." He says confidently. "I won't be as easy to take out as Ichi."

Hyoga snorts. "Who said I'm fighting you?" He asks.

"Shiryu and Seiya just fought, so unless I'm fighting Tatsumi, you're my opponent, pal." Jabu retorts.

Before Hyoga can say anything, Tatsumi speaks up.

"The next match: Unicorn Jabu versus Shun."

"Shun?" Jabu echoes, looking around in confusion.?

Hyoga finds his gaze drawn up to the girl on the platform with the Gold Cloth Box. She's standing now, green eyes fixed silently on Jabu as she takes him in. Then, she jumps.

In the time it takes for her to reach the floor, she has donned a pink Cloth with chains wrapped around the bracers.

As he stares at her, Hyoga is struck by a memory.

_A little girl, half-hiding behind a man dressed in a Cloth, staring at Hyoga with big green eyes. When he catches her looking, she gives tiny, shy wave. He doesn't wave back._

_The same girl, older now, chained up in a small room, screaming as his master's best friend stings her with his attack over, and over, and over again._

This, Hyoga realizes, is the ally he is expected to watch out for, the only one of the Bronzes present that he isn't expected to kill.

The so-called "Princess", Andromeda Shun.

"A _girl_?" Jabu asks in disbelief. "This is who I'm supposed to be fighting? Are you kidding me?"

"If you don't want to fight a girl," Tatsumi says, "You're welcome to forfeit."

Jabu growls, but doesn't argue anymore.

Instead, he launches an attack without waiting for the signal to begin.

Shun dodges easily, and then dodges again. Dodges, deflects, parries, dodges a third time.

"What is wrong with you?" Jabu demands. "You can't win a fight only by dodging."

As he charges yet again, Shun ducks underneath his punch, grabs his arm, then spins the blond boy around, twisting his arm up into an arm lock. Jabu curses and struggles, but his opponent's grip is firm and unyielding.

Shun raises one hand, and brings it down sharply on the back of Jabu's neck. The boy jerks, letting out a startled gasp, and drops to the ground, unconscious.

The match is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if I should write more.
> 
> See you soon.


	15. Legends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A take on the final from Legend of Sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one for Legend of Sanctuary, but uses boy Milo (Because why did they gender bend Milo?). This is a good candidate for my interim project.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Learning that Aiolos was never a traitor is like a slap in the face for Milo. Learning that Saga is the Pope, that he didn't die on that night sixteen years ago, that he's been deceiving them for all these years, is like a punch in the gut. Learning that Athena, or at least, the Athena that he has been serving for the last decade and a half, is a fake and that he was ordered to kill the real Athena, is like having his heart ripped out and crushed in front of his face.

Camus knew. This much Milo is sure of. Camus knew and he never told Milo. And now he's dead so Milo can't even ask him why.

It's after Athena has collapsed while healing the Pegasus Saint with the help of her Vanguard that Milo feels the burst of Cosmo. He makes a mad dash for the exit to the House of Sagittarius, Mu and Aldebaran following, making it out just in time to see the last of a burst of blue Cosmo.

Aphrodite has appeared seemingly out of nowhere in midair, and is dropping like a rock. Before Milo or any of the Golds can make a move, one of the young Bronze Saints shoots forward. It's the girl, Columba, and Milo watches in shock as a pair of magnificent wings sprout from the back of her armor. A single, powerful flap has the girl shooting for the sky, heading for Aphrodite's falling figure.

It's less a catch, and more an impact as the blonde girl collides with the Gold Saint, her wings flapping fiercely to slow their decent to a more reasonable speed. Both Saints tumble to the ground with a painful sounding thump and a clang of armor.

The Phoenix Saint is the first the reach the two Saints, crouching down and lifting Aphrodite's limp form off his fellow Bronze. Mu gets there next, and goes to check on the Pisces Saint.

"He's alive." Mu reports after a moment, and Milo's shoulders ease slightly. The less people they lose from this the better. Even if Aphrodite is a vain prick at times.

Aphrodite groans as his eyes flicker open and he sits up stiffly. "I'm fine." He tells Mu, but accepts the Aries Saint's offer of a hand up.

Next to him, the Columba Saint looks relatively unharmed as well.

An ominous groaning sound draws everyone's attention to the Pope's chambers far ahead of them. The giant statue of Anubis is moving, detaching itself from the building and taking a step forward, only to topple off the edge and fall straight down onto the path between the Houses of Aquarius and Pisces, going straight through it and continuing down towards the Colosseum.

The entire structure breaks off from the rest of the Sanctum, dropping like the massive rock it is. Even at this distance, Milo can see the giant statue, swinging its spear and destroying the Colosseum.

"That thing's going to destroy all of Sanctuary if we don't stop it!" Aldebaran yells.

"We must keep it away from Athena." Shaka adds. The face guard of his helmet snaps into place.

The rest of the Golds follow suit, even Aphrodite, and they take off towards the Colosseum, jumping between the chunks of rubble to reach the falling structure. Milo feels less guilt than he should about leaving Athena behind. He has faith that she'll be safe with the Bronzes for now.

* * *

Taking out the Anubis statue is, frankly, quite easy.

Between Aphrodite's, Aiolia's, Shaka's, Aldebaran's, and Milo's own attacks, they do enough damage that the thing slows down, and from there it's a simple matter of Shura slicing it in half with his Excalibur. Mu's Crystal Wall easily blocks the falling pieces of debris, and the lot of them lightspeed out of the way without so much as a scratch on any of them.

Things go downhill from there.

First, it's the explosion in the Pope's chambers.

Next it's the red, shooting-star like thing that shoots into the sky before exploding into a ring of fire.

The explosion of Cosmo that comes from the Pope's chambers startles all seven Gold Saints, and they turn to look just in time to see the massive figure rise up out of what used to be Athena's private chambers.

"No... The Saintias..." Milo hears Aphrodite whisper. The Pisces Saint is right to be worried. As Athena's closest confidants, the Saintias live in an extension of the goddess's chambers, and this new development has put them in grave danger. Assuming they're still alive.

Then the massive... thing-Milo is fairly confident that it used to be Saga-points one arm at them and fires a beam of raw energy straight at the Colosseum. Even with lightspeed, the Golds will never make it out in time. Just as the beam is about to hit them, Mu and Shaka jump in front of them, Crystal Wall and Kan springing up to block the beam of energy. At the same time, a wall of actual ice springs up, accompanied by a familiar Cosmo.

 _Camus?_ Milo wonders, but doesn't have a chance to really think about it as the attack makes contact with the collective of defense. He can practically feel Mu and Shaka straining to maintain their defenses as the ice wall is effectively vaporized, but the it seems to be enough, as the beam of energy sweeps past them... and straight towards where Athena and the Bronze Saints are located.

"NO!" Milo hears Aiolia yell, but none of them can make it.

At that moment, all the Gold Saints hear a yell, sounding like several voice speaking at once.

"Triple Nebula Chain!"

Chains shoot out of seemingly nowhere, simultaneously looking like both a thousand chains, and a mere six. They wrapped around the being, several of them winding around its arm and yanking on it, sending the beam of power off-course. It disperses a moment later, the being roaring as more chains wrap around it, trapping its unchained arm against its side.

"Who dares interfere?!" It demands.

Without any prompting, Mu flares his Cosmo, teleporting all seven Gold Saints back to where Athena and the Bronzes stand.

Athena is gone, but Milo can see the figure up above, recognizes the unrefined form of the Sagittarius Cloth as it flies down to join them. It's the Pegasus Saint, looking more like a winged centaur than a human, Athena clutched in his arms.

"This is insane." The Cygnus Saint mutters. "How are we supposed to take that thing out?"

Milo stares as the... creature twists and struggles against the chains that bind it. It's Saga. Definitely. He can hear the fallen Gemini Saint roaring in anger as he tries to get free. The monster looks strangely like he is made of stone, with cracks all over him. Then it hits Milo.

"We have to take out its brain." He says.

"The hell are you talking about?" The Phoenix Saint demands.

"Of course!" Shura says. "That thing is Saga, he must be in control, so if we take him out..."

"We take it down!" The Pegasus Saint-Seiya, Athena had called him-declares triumphantly.

"So how do we do that?" Cygnus asks.

Aphrodite hums quietly. "We hit it with everything we've got." He states simply. "Put every bit of power you have into your attacks. Aim to kill. Once we've broken it down, Lady Athena will use her Cosmo to help this one-" he gestures at the young Pegasus-turned-Sagittarius "-hit Saga with an Ethereal Arrow. That should be enough to destroy him."

Before anyone can respond, another voice speaks up.

"That seems like a sound plan." A woman drops to the ground next to the group of Bronze and Gold Saints, dressed in a burgundy Cloth and carrying a silver mirror in one hand. Along with her are a man in a blue Cloth with chains hanging from the gauntlets, and a girl in a teal Cloth carrying a whip.

"Cassiopeia Alanna? Cepheus Albiore? How..." Milo trails off, staring at most respected of the Amazons and the master of Andromeda Island. He had known they were in Sanctuary, had dragged them here along with four of their students on the orders of the Pope-of Saga. Seeing them here now is a shock, considering that all six had been trapped in the prison in Athena's inner Sanctum, the one reserved for Saints who had committed crimes against the goddess herself.

"Aquarius Camus let us out." The Cepheus Saint answers easily. He smiles slightly. "He's helping my other students hold that thing back, but we don't have time to worry. You have a plan, we need to carry it out."

Shaking away his shock, Milo glances at the others. All around, they nod.

"We don't have time to waste." Shaka warns. "Pegasus, take Athena as high as you can. We will open a path for you. When you see it, do not miss."

"I won't." The boy says confidently, and takes to the sky.

"Prepare yourselves!" Mu cries.

Without hesitating, the group of Saints spreads out. Phoenix and Columba settle themselves back to back, one arm each stretched out and touching.

"Lushan Rising Dragon!"

"Diamond Dust!"

"Phoenix Fire!"

"Swirling Gale!"

"Chameleon Tongue!"

"Cursed Reflection!"

"Chain Strike!"

"Stardust Revolution!"

"Great Horn!"

"Lighting Plasma!"

"Scarlet Needle!"

"Excalibur!"

"Piranha Rose!"

Attacks fly at the massive creature standing above them, crashing into it with seemingly impossible force. The thing literally shatters open, revealing Saga's horribly twisted form.

 _"Now!"_ Mu orders telepathically.

There is a flash of golden light from above, and Saga roars in pain as the arrow strikes him.

It is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, that was fun. Also, in the original version, I switched tenses half way through. Whoops.
> 
> See you soon!


	16. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Poseidon visit Sanctuary to speak with Athena, Hyoga is the only one there to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Here's another one. I like this idea a lot.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"Sir Hyoga! Sir Ikki!" A child's voice draws Hyoga's attention from where he'd been perusing a fruit stall.

Hyoga and Ikki are in Rodario picking up some supplies. Hyoga due to orders from Master Camus, Ikki for... reasons Hyoga doesn't know. They're in the main square of the village where most of the merchants sell their wares. Ikki is next to Hyoga paying for some pears.

(Hyoga doubts that pears are actually on Ikki's shopping list, but he's not going to bring that up to the Phoenix Saint.)

The village square isn't huge, but it's busy this time of day, with people picking up supplies and shop keepers yelling about their deals.

In the middle of the square is a big fountain with a wide ledge around the outside that is perfect for sitting on. This is where the kids from the Rodario orphanage hang out most days, watching the townspeople go about their business and sometimes snitching pieces of food.

(Hyoga has heard more than one of the village's occupants complain, but no one ever does anything to stop it. The kids, especially the older ones, often run errands or do little odd jobs for the townspeople to make up for it.)

It is here that the call came from, and Hyoga glances over to see the usual assortment of children, some older, some younger, all perched around the fountain.

He grins a bit and waves briefly to Ikki before going to join them. The Phoenix Saint will join them when he's ready and not a moment before.

Hyoga has barely set down his bags of food when the little ones are all over him, and he nearly falls in the fountain trying to maintain his balance.

"Alright, alright. Careful kiddos. You don't want to hurt Sir Hyoga, do you?" Torren asks, plucking little Mira off Hyoga's left arm and setting the girl on her hip.

At sixteen, Torren is the oldest of the Rodario orphans. Technically, she should have left the orphanage and found somewhere else to live by now, but she's shown no interest in doing so, and she's so good with the kids that at this point most people assume that she'll be taking over from the aging orphanage caretaker in a few years.

Mira pouts her little girl pout-the one that gets her treats from the candy vendor on a regular basis-but doesn't argue with the older girl.

Hyoga smiles as he ruffles Damon's fluffy brown hair.

"How are you all doing?" He asks Torren.

The girl grins at him as she sits down on his left side, setting Mira in her lap. "We're doing okay. Just like always."

"Right. Silly me for asking, right?" Hyoga answers her grin with one of his own.

Torren just chuckles at that. "Yeah," She says, "Silly you. I don't suppose you've seen Sinon?" She adds with a frown.

Hyoga feels his face twist to mirror the older girl's expression.

Sinon, or Shun, as he is actually named, is another one of the Rodario orphans. Dumped on the steps of the Rodario orphanage by a pair of Japanese tourists when he was just a baby, Shun has never said a word in his life, and is constantly troubled by physical pains that the village doctor has never found the source of. To make matters worse, the thirteen-year-old has never been to Sanctuary to be looked at by a proper healer. Not that Athena's Saints would refuse to help the boy, but he throws a fit every time someone tries to persuade him.

(Hyoga looks at Shun, with his green hair and terrifyingly expressive blue-green eyes, and feels memories well up. He knows Shun, or he did, a long time ago, but the memories-Magnus's, he thinks-are all twisted up with pain and grief and a rotten feeling that might be anger.)

"No. I haven't seen him today. Why?" He answers.

Torren sighs. "It's his day to help me look after these little hellions," She bounces Mira on her lap, "But he left early this morning and no one can find him."

"Weird." Ikki comments as he joins them, removing Phoebe from Hyoga's right arm and sitting down, permitting the little four-year-old to use him as her personal climbing wall.

(For all he pretends to be the big bad Phoenix, Ikki has a massive soft spot for the Rodario orphans. Hyoga blames Esmeralda.)

"Have you checked outside town?" Ikki adds, extracting Phoebe's hands from his hair.

"No one's available to look." Torren answers. "I'm looking after these little hellions, and the others all have chores or shopping to do."

Hyoga and Ikki nod in understanding. It's a full-time job, taking care of the kids.

Torren sighs. "I know you're busy, but if you see him, tell Sinon to get over here. This is more than I can-"

Footsteps interrupt her words, and all three teens turn in time to see the person in question approach them. There's something about his expression, something almost panicked. Shun gestures wildly at Torren and the children, then back towards the orphanage.

"What? What do you mean we need to go home. Sinon, it's barely noon!" Torren protests.

The preteen's expression turns frustrated, and he stomps his foot like a child, pointing again towards the orphanage, and making a gesture that Hyoga knows means this is important.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Help me out here?" Torren huffs, scooping Mira up and beckoning Damon and Phoebe to follow her. The others all get up-somewhat reluctantly-and start to make their way back to their home.

Shun shakes head, makes a gesture that Hyoga doesn't recognize, even as Phoebe starts to sulk.

"It's not time to go yet!" She complains.

Torren glares warningly at the child. "Sinon said it's important that we go home, so we're going now!" She says firmly.

Phoebe starts to tear up.

With a sigh, Ikki shares a glance with Shun. It's fascinating, the way the Phoenix Saint and the younger boy seem to just understand each other. It's been like that ever since they met.

"Come on, Phoebe. How about I tell you a story when we get to the orphanage?" Ikki suggests, standing and scooping her up so she sits on his shoulders.

Phoebe nods, and the tears stop almost immediately. Shun smiles gratefully as Ikki.

Hyoga huffs. "I'll get your stuff back to the House of Leo for you." He offers. Ikki nods at him.

With that, Ikki, Torren, and the little ones are off towards the orphanage. Hyoga waits until they've disappeared around a corner to turn to Shun.

"Alright, what's wrong?" He asks the younger boy. "Why did you make Torren take the kids back early?"

Shun frowns, then tenses.

Before Hyoga has a chance to react, Shun is slamming into him, throwing them both to the ground. Hyoga lets out a startled yelp as they collide with the hard stone of the square.

The ensuing explosion catches him by surprise, and Hyoga wastes no time in throwing himself over Shun to protect the younger boy.

(It's a familiar feeling, this protectiveness, but Hyoga doesn't have time to reflect on it.)

Small rocks bounce off his back. It stings, but it's nothing he hasn't experienced in training. He pushes himself up slowly, looking down to see Shun's unconscious form. Hyoga grits his teeth.

"When I said take us to Earth, I mean the Sanctuary, not this... _village._ " A voice sneers.

"Forgive me, Lord Hades. I am no Lemurian, so my teleportation is not very refined." A second voice apologizes.

Hyoga freezes. _Hades._ He thinks.

Slowly, the Cygnus Saint turns, only to nearly choke at what he sees behind him.

The fountain is completely destroyed, reduced to nothing but rubble and debris that lays in a near perfect circle around them. The force of the impact has thrown all the people in the square to the ground, knocked over stalls, and sent various wares flying.

Behind Hyoga, four figures stand in the center of the village square.

As the dust clears, fear curls in Hyoga's gut. He knows these people, has fought them numerous times.

(He's beaten them, too. Not on his own, never on his own, but he has. The thought is... less comforting than one might think.)

Standing before Hyoga, flanked on each side by two of their most loyal servants, are Hades and Poseidon.

* * *

Crouching before the two gods, Shun's unconscious form slumped on the ground next to him, destruction rampant around him, faced down by the gods of the sea and the underworld, Hyoga wishes that for once he had brought his Cloth with him.

Not that he could do anything against two gods and their respective bodyguards on his own, but at least he wouldn't feel so defenseless.

As though in slow motion, the four figures all turn towards Hyoga, likely sensing his Cosmo amidst the mess that is the square.

Hyoga turns fully to face them, staying crouched over Shun protectively.

Hades and Poseidon are easy enough to recognize. Their bodyguards-one each, it seems-are harder to identify.

Hades's bodyguard is a man in the purple Surplice typical of the Spectres. His hair is long, a shade of grey just short of white. His mouth curls into a sharp smile, his violet eyes filled with vicious cruelty.

The other unfamiliar man is clearly one of Poseidon's Mariner generals. His pink eyes watch Hyoga impassively from behind pale purple bangs. In his left hand is a golden flute.

It's several moments before Hyoga's memories kick in and allow him to identify the two men.

_Celestial Noble Star Griffon Minos of the Three Judges of Hades._

_The Siren, Mariner general of Poseidon and guardian of the Pillar of the South Atlantic Ocean._

_This is bad._ Hyoga thinks. _Two gods, each with one of their most powerful servants, and me without my Cloth._

Even as he thinks this, a familiar Cosmo prods at Hyoga's.

 _Hyoga!_ Aries Mu's voice echoes in Hyoga's mind. _I felt a flare of Cosmo in Rodario! What's going on?_

Staring up at four men, all of whom are capable of killing him in an instant, Hyoga has just enough presence of mind to know that responding to the Aries Saint could save his life.

 _Hades and Poseidon are in the village square._ He reports quickly. _I'm alone and I don't have my Cloth._

Mu's Cosmo flares in alarm. _I'll send you your Cloth._ He tells Hyoga, and then, _Milo is closest to the village, I'll send him to join you and raise then alarm. Just hold on until we get there._

Hyoga doesn't get a chance to respond as the four men fix their attention on him.

Before any of them can attack, there's a flash of light and Hyoga's Pandora's Box is next to him. He doesn't hesitate to reach out and summon the Cygnus Cloth. The armor falls into place on his body, and Hyoga feels himself settle.

He stands up, stepping in front of Shun, and stands his ground.

He is Cygnus Hyoga of the Vanguard of Athena. His duty is to protect the people of Earth and he will not fail.

"How _sweet,_ " Minos practically purrs as he stares down at Hyoga, "The little Saint wants to fight us."

Hades speaks up before Hyoga can muster up a retort. "Stand down, Minos." The king of the dead orders. "We aren't here to fight."

Hyoga can't help but scoff at that. "If you're not here to fight," He growls, "Then why did you destroy the village square? What do you want?"

"We're here to speak to Athena." Poseidon says in a remarkably calm voice. "The destruction of this village was... an accident."

Hyoga eyes the group of four warily.

"Of course," Minos adds, "If you want to fight, I won't complain." He starts to lift a hand, only to freeze as there's another flash of light from the sky.

An arrow buries itself into the ground between Hyoga and Minos, startling both of them.

Hyoga whips around and sees the figure crouched on top of a nearby building.

The sharp golden wings and bow are a dead give away.

Sagittarius Aiolos stares down at the assembled gods and their warriors, another arrow already notched and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

A moment later, a figure drops to the ground in front of Hyoga.

"Get back, Spectre." Scorpio Milo snarls warningly, his hand extended, read-painted nail pointing straight at the grey-haired man's chest.

"My, my. What a development." Minos says, his smile widening even as he steps back to stand beside his master.

Milo glances back at the Cygnus Saint, brows furrowed. "Are you okay, Hyoga?" He asks.

"Fine." Hyoga answers, keeping his eyes on the four men in front of him.

A few soft thumps signal the arrival of more Saints. Hyoga glances around, quickly identifying the assembled Golds.

Aiolos's younger brother, Leo Aiolia, stand in front of the building his brother is perched on.

Next to Aiolia is Mu, his normally soft expression grim as he takes in the situation.

Gemini Saga is approaching from Hyoga's left, his eyes cold as he looks over the two gods.

Last is Pisces Aphrodite, standing on a building several over from Aiolos's perch, his eyes fixed intensely on Minos.

(His history lessons with Master Camus tell Hyoga that there's a very good reason for the Pisces Saint's wariness of the Griffon Spectre, but he doesn't dwell on that for long.)

Saga is the first to break the silence as he reaches the assembled warriors. His gaze finds Hyoga, takes in the unconscious orphan on the ground, and turns back to the two gods.

"What is going on here?" He demands coolly.

"Saint of Athena." Poseidon says formally. "We wish to speak to your goddess."

Saga's eyes narrow warily. "Why?"

Poseidon's mouth quirks up.

"We wish to discuss a cease-fire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaving this here for now. Tell me what you think?
> 
> See you soon!


	17. Reincarnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda's history is full of betrayal and pain, but it can't last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Here we go again.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

Shun isn't sure what to think when the messenger comes to the training grounds. They're not seeking her out, that much she is sure of, but there are others nearby who they could be looking for.

The foot soldier moves towards the sparring ring Shun is standing next to, and calls out.

"Pegasus Seiya, Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, Phoenix Ikki, Unicorn Jabu. Lady Athena requests your presence." He says.

Shun bites her lip. It's not like she expected to be called, but it stings all the same.

Ikki scowls at that, ever the indignant one when it comes to Shun being excluded. Much as she appreciates it, it doesn't help when Ikki gets like this.

Stifling a sigh, Shun presses a hand to her older brother's shoulder.

"Go on," She says, "I'll be fine."

The corners of Ikki's mouth curl downwards, and he looks like he's about to protest, but Shun smiles and shakes her head.

"Reda and Spica should be here for their training in a few minutes, I'll join them. Wouldn't be the first time."

(She knows that won't help. Ikki doesn't like it when she works with her old training partners. But he can't change the way things are.)

(Saori is not Sasha, but she is no kinder to Shun for it.)

"Watch yourself." Ikki finally says, and turns to walk away.

"We'll see you in a few hours, Shun." Seiya adds.

Hyoga and Shiryu follow without saying anything. They are men of few words to begin with, and they know there's nothing they can do for Shun.

Jabu glances back, a frown curling his lips as he stares at the Andromeda Saint.

(Shun tries not to flinch as she meets his eyes. It still hurts to see him dart up to walk next to Ikki.)

(That used to be her place, a long time ago. Just... not anymore.)

* * *

It starts with Sinon. He is nothing special. Nothing special, that is, until he is taken from his parents to train to become a Saint of Athena.

It's not easy. The training. The responsibility. Not that anyone expects much from a mere Bronze Saint, but Sinon puts everything he has-everything he is-into his duty as a Saint.

When the battle against Hades is over, Sinon watches from the background as Athena lays praise upon those who fought the hardest to protect her and the Earth.

Pegasus Soren.

Dragon Hakuryu.

Cygnus Seiryu.

Sinon watches as Athena names these three young Bronzes to her new Vanguard, listens as she assigns them new responsibilities. Sinon is neither bitter nor jealous. He does not envy his fellow Saints their new roles.

But he sees those who do. There are those among the Silver Saints who don't approve of Bronze Saints being given such an honor.

Sinon keeps a close eye on those ones.

...

The battle against Poseidon is a hard one. After the losses in the battle against Hades, there are too few Saints to effectively fight against the god of the seas and his Mariner army.

They make do.

Sinon stands before the ruler of the seas, stands beside the Vanguard and a man by the name of Phoenix Hiryu, and cannot help but wonder if this is the right choice.

In the end, they defeat Poseidon too.

As he kneels beside Hiryu, listening to Athena declare him a member of her Vanguard, it feels as though something inside him slots into place, like something is so very _right._

Sinon does not understand. He simply accepts.

He does not miss the bitter stares that follow him.

* * *

Sango does not consider himself particularly special at first, but he knows from an early age that there is something that he is missing.

That changes when the Saints come to find him.

Meeting the others is like finding that missing piece of himself.

Dragon Mizuchi.

Cygnus Hali.

Phoenix Suzaku.

Pegasus Tsubasa.

These four are the pieces that he has missed for the first twelve years of his life.

They are, at first, rough around the edges. But they fight. And they learn.

It seems perfect...

Until it isn't.

...

It should have been a simple mission. Sneak into the underworld, and try to find out if there is a reason for the Holy Wars. If there is a reason that Hades insists on fighting.

Then they find Persephone's body, hidden in the Elysian Fields. He doesn't mean to touch her, but one of his companions bumps into him, and his fingers brush her shoulder. The burst of Cosmo that hits him is enough to alert every Spectre in the area.

Their subsequent flight from the underworld ends at the gates to Hades, where Sango grits his teeth and stands his ground. He orders his companions, a pair of Silver Saints, to go without him.

He isn't surprised when they don't hesitate to follow his command.

That he falls before the might of the Spectres is no more surprising.

* * *

The next time his name is Shaun. His brother is Nero, and they are both Saints.

Joined by Cygnus Magnus, Dragon Long, and Pegasus Tenma, they form Athena's Vanguard.

Or at least, they should.

He doesn't understand it at first, the whispers. Then he meets Lady Athena for the first time, and her gaze turns cold when she looks at him.

There's something that might be pain in her voice when she declares that he will not serve with the rest of the Vanguard in this life, that he must prove himself worthy of his position if he wishes to continue to serve as he has in the past. He is given no explanation, as though expected to simply understand.

He silences his brother's protests himself, before Nero's fiery temper gets him in trouble as well.

Instead of asking, he researches. Sanctuary has an extensive library open to all Saints. Shaun goes there, finds the report of his last mission in his past life. It proves quite the task, but he does it eventually.

_The Saint of Andromeda betrayed us. He alerted Hades' Spectres to our presence in the underworld._

It hurts to read. Of course, Shaun supposes that it could look like the accident was deliberate, but he couldn't have known what making contact with Persephone's body would do.

 _Unless you were working with the Spectres from the beginning_ _._ A nasty voice comments in his head.

Shaun bears the cruel words and distrustful stares without complaint. He doesn't entirely blame them, even if they are wrong.

In his last moments, as he stares down the tip of Poseidon's trident, Shaun's last thought is that he hopes that Lady Athena will remove him from the Vanguard entirely. It would be easier-and less painful for them all-to find someone new.

...

Shaun wakes up in the Underworld, Hades staring down at him with a look of curiosity on his face.

"You are the one who disturbed my wife's rest two hundred years ago?" Hades asks him.

Shaun hesitates. "I am." He answers the god of the Underworld.

"In that case, I have an offer to make."

"What kind of offer?" Shaun asks warily.

"The kind that, if you accept, with end the war between myself and Athena for good."

Shaun has to think for only a moment. In the end, the choice is an easy one.

"What do I need to do?"

Hades smiles, and begins to speak.

* * *

The next time, the Saint of Andromeda is a girl. Most take this as a sign that the past member of the Vanguard was removed from his post and has been replaced.

They're all proved wrong when Shun begins to regain his-her, really-memories, and begins talking of things that she wouldn't know if she wasn't Sinon's newest incarnation.

Surprisingly, Lady Athena-her name is Saori in this life-lets Shun train with the other members of the Vanguard.

They have a new member. Unicorn Jabu. Shun learns that the Unicorn Saint during the last war, Unicorn Yato, was named to the Vanguard after Shaun's death. It is painfully clear that he is meant to be her replacement.

It's not quite so bad this time though. There are still the stares and the comments, and Shun is regularly excluded from matters involving the Vanguard, but it doesn't matter. She has her brother with her, and when the time comes, she will fight alongside him like she always does.

Then comes the mysterious summons from Lady Athena. The other members of the Vanguard leave to answer the summons, and Shun is left with her old training partners from Andromeda Island, Bootes Spica and Pisces Austrinus Reda.

Working with her old training partners is nothing like training with her brother and friends. Since Shun is a member of the Vanguard, she's acknowledged as one of the strongest Bronzes, and Spica and Reda use this as an excuse to fight her two-on-one. Reda is spiteful and jealous-and unafraid to admit it-and Spica follows the older Bronze's lead with little hesitation.

It's not like Shun can't fight them both at the same time and win, but she doesn't see the point in beating them into the ground repeatedly. They'll never learn anything like that.

* * *

 _Today is not my day._ Shun reflects as Spica takes another potshot at her with his chains. Of course her old training partners are especially nasty when no one is there to see. Or, at least, when Ikki isn't there to beat them into the ground the way he does to anyone he thinks is being unfair to Shun.

Not that she doesn't appreciate her brother's protectiveness, but he goes overboard more often than not.

With a flick of her chains, Shun deflects Spica's attempt to hit her, and wraps both his chains up with one of hers. She just has to beat them this time, and then she can take a break and eat something.

It's as good a motivation as any.

Of course, it's never so easy for Shun, so of course Reda gets the drop on her, tying up her remaining chain with one of his own, and using his second chain to hit her. Out of options, Shun braces herself for the inevitable impact as she's thrown backwards into the wall behind her. It hurts just as much she's expecting, and knocks the wind out of her.

"Wow, way to lose." Reda sneers at Shun. The Andromeda Saint simply pulls her chains away from her opponents' and nods at them.

"Nice tactic." She acknowledges them lightly. As usual, her refusal to rise to the bait catches Reda off guard.

 _You'd think he'd get the message by now._ Shun thinks as she walks to where the pack with her water and lunch is sitting and settles down to eat.

"Who is that down there?" A voice catches Shun's attention as she bites into the bread she'd brought with her this morning.

Looking up towards the top of the training ground, which is basically a large pit with seats like steps leading down into it, much like the colosseum, Shun freezes.

Staring down from the top of the training ground are Lady Athena, two of the Gold Saints, the rest of the Vanguard, and a woman Shun doesn't recognize. But what truly catches Shun's attention is the person standing next to Lady Athena.

_Hades._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I know this one ends kind of abruptly, but what did you think?
> 
> This is another one I that I have more ideas for.
> 
> See you next time!


	18. Camus: Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camus's arrival in Sanctuary, and her first meeting with some of her soon-to-be brothers-in-arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... Newest chapter, second one in a few days. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

Camus is only five years old when the Saint comes. She watches as the strange man talks to the caretakers of the orphanage. She's allowed to pack a small bag with some clothes before they leave, but that's it before she's on her way.

The Sanctuary is huge and, frankly, a little overwhelming. From the extensive training grounds to the colosseum to the series of large stone buildings separated by long flights of stairs, everything somehow seems larger than life, and Camus looks around in poorly suppressed wonder as she takes in everything around her.

It soon becomes clear that they are heading for the series of buildings separated by stairs. The man who had picked her up, who has long pale green hair and purple eyes, with two purple dots on his forehead in place of eyebrows, has been explaining everything to Camus as they walk.

"These are the Houses of the Zodiac, named after the twelve zodiac constellations in the night sky." He explains as they reach the bottom of the stairs. "First is the House of Aries, then they go up in order to the House of Pisces at the top. Beyond that is the Great Hall, the Pope's chambers, and Athena's chambers in the back. You can't see it from here, but there's also Star Hill, a sacred place where only the Pope and Athena may go."

"Just who are you?" Camus blurts out, then promptly winces. She usually doesn't speak without thinking, but all she knows is that she's been brought to this place to become a "Saint" and that this man is named Shion.

"Oh." Shion says. "I am Pope Shion, the leader of Sanctuary. I promise I'll explain everything once we reach the top, alright?"

Camus turns her attention to the stairs that lead up to the first House. It's kind of daunting, the idea that she has to climb all those stairs, but she nods slowly.

"Okay." She says.

"Just tell me if you need to take a break." Shion says gently.

Camus nods, but doesn't say anything else as they head for the first flight of stairs.

She's already out of breath by the time they reach the top of the first flight of stairs, so they stop and Shion begins to tell her a bit about the House as they sit and wait for her to catch her breath.

"The House of Aries has, historically, been inhabited by a Lemurian like me. They're like humans, but not exactly, and they're in charge of repairing the Cloths-that's what we call the armor the Saints wear-as well as being the very first line of defense against invaders who are aiming to get through the Twelve Houses. I was the last Aries Saint, but I have a student who will take over for me."

Camus listens intently to Shion's explanation. She's not sure what she thinks about all this, but she can't make a proper decision when she doesn't know anything.

They continue on, once again stopping when they reach the House of Taurus.

They make their way up through the Houses. They pass Gemini, where they see a boy some years older than Camus, who Shion introduces as Gemini Saga, the guardian of the third House. Then there is the House of Cancer, which is empty. It's when they get to the House of Leo that they see more people around Camus's age.

A young voice calls out to them from the top of the stairs. Camus startles slightly, not expecting the sudden outburst. She looks in the direction the yell came from and sees a boy about the same age as her with curly light brown hair headed towards them. He is followed by two more boys, one with black hair and one blond.

Shion smiles as he steps forward to meet the three boys, greeting each with a smile and a quick pat on the head. It doesn't take long for the children to notice Camus, and they all stare at her curiously before turning to Shion.

The little brown-haired boy's tone is curious as he asks a question that Camus doesn't understand. She assumes he's speaking Greek, but doesn't understand the language herself, and therefore has no idea what he is saying.

Shion finally turns to her, smiling a little bit. "These are Aiolia, Talus, and Nico. They are all training to become the Leo Saint." He says, indication the brunette, the black-haired boy, and the blond in order.

Camus eyes the trio nervously, but gives them a small wave nonetheless. Aiolia wave back saying something that Camus doesn't understand, but assumes is a greeting. Talus and Nico also wave, but remain silent.

After they leave the House of Leo, they make their way up through Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio before stopping at Sagittarius. Here, Camus meets the Sagittarius Saint Aiolos, who introduces himself in decent French. Camus suspects-but does not have the courage to ask-that Aiolia and Aiolos are siblings.

When they reach the House of Capricorn they meet another person.

"This is Shura." Shion introduces the green-haired boy. Camus looks him over, he's older than her, but a bit younger than Aiolos and Saga, and has a very serious expression on his face. He seems to hesitate a bit before speaking.

"It's..." He starts in hesitant French. "Nice to meet you."

Camus feels herself brighten slightly and replies. "It's nice to meet you too."

Shura smiles and steps aside to let them pass through.

They reach the House of Aquarius, and Camus promptly goes still. This house is cold, and not just chilly, but flat out freezing, and there's something especially comforting about it. She hears a soft laugh and turns to see Shion looking down at her with amusement in his eyes.

"It's nice, isn't it?" He asks gently. "I remember having a similar reaction the first time I entered the House of Aries. They say everyone has a special connection to the house associated with their zodiac sign."

Camus nods. It makes sense to her, for all that she doesn't understand anything about the Saints yet. Being in the House of Aquarius feels intrinsically right in a way Camus has never felt before.

Shion lets her spend a little time looking around the House of Aquarius before ushering her up to the House of Pisces.

The House of Pisces is also empty, and Camus doesn't get much of a sense of anything out of it. It's just another building, unlike the House of Aquarius.

After that, they finally reach the top. At this point Camus is exhausted from the trek up the stairs, and kind of wants to lie down and sleep, but there's apparently more to do, so she follows Shion further into what she assumes is the Pope's chambers. They walk through a long hall with a raised platform with a throne on it at the end, and past that into a small room with a table and some cushioned chairs and couches. There are cups and a steaming pot of what Camus assumes is tea sitting on the table.

"Now," Shion says, gesturing for Camus to sit. "I expect you have questions, let me see what I can do to answer them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
> 
> I actually got the idea to genderbend Camus from two things: One: a picture of blond Milo and redhead Camus, with Camus in a white wedding dress, and two: Milo was genderbent in LoS, so why not genderbend Camus this time?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.


	19. Big Brothers, Little Brothers I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milo has never been particularly close to his oldest brother, but that's no reason to let Saga take the easy way out. He's not letting his best friend die either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MORE!
> 
> (Sorry, I've kind of been on a roll with the plot bunnies, and it's got me super excited.)
> 
> Am I the only person who saw that Milo and Saga have the same eye and hair color in the anime and thought they were brothers? Yeah, that's where this came from. (To clarify this, they had the same hair color in Soul of Gold).
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

It all happens so fast, there's really no time to process.

Saga is charging Lady Athena, his hair pale grey and his eyes a menacing, glowing red, with all the intent to finish the job he started thirteen years ago.

"No!" One of the Bronze Saints yells, but the six of them are too far away, too injured to stop what's about to happen.

Milo, however, isn't. And he isn't a Gold Saint for nothing.

More on instinct that anything, Milo charges the fallen Gemini Saint. He slams into the older man, sending them both flying further back into the Pope's chambers. They slam into a pillar, Saga's head smacking solidly against the stone.

"Let me go!" The man roars as he struggles against Milo's grip, but Milo is driven by a level of rage he hasn't felt since he was a child, since people started calling him crazy for insisting he had another brother.

Instead of loosening his grip, Milo presses one arm across Saga's throat and applies just enough pressure to cut off his airways.

"No!" He snarls. "After everything you've done, after all the people you've hurt, _you don't get to take the easy way out you sorry bastard! You're not going anywhere until you tell me WHERE THE HELL KANON IS!"_

Saga goes deathly still at this, and something in his demeanor changes. In a matter of seconds, his hair is blue again, his eyes the same teal color Milo sees every time he looks in the mirror.

In Milo's grip, Saga goes limp. The Scorpio Saint takes this as his oldest brother's surrender and loosens his grip on the older Saint, but only enough to twist Saga around and knock him out with a swift blow to the back of his neck. Silently, he lets Saga fall to the ground in a heap.

Lady Athena and the other Golds-those that remain-are watching Milo with something like shock.

Suddenly unable to deal with their gazes on him, Milo lightspeeds out of the Pope's chambers, down the stairs and towards the House of Aquarius.

* * *

He'd seen Camus, on the way up to the Pope's chambers to confront Saga. There hadn't been time to stop then. At least, not more time than it took for Lady Athena to revive Dimitri's student, Hyoga, but Milo suddenly feels like he has all the time in the world as he kneels next to his best friend's body

"You're an idiot." He murmurs as he rolls Camus's body over, taking in the Aquarius Saint's frost white hair and icy pale skin. "You knew what was going on this whole time. You knew it was my brother who was behind all this, and _you never told me dammit._ "

It hurts, because Milo knows he's right, even as he picks up he long time friend's body and cradles it in his arms.

It's this action that causes Milo to sense it.

"Camus?" Milo breathes. He lifts one hand and presses it cautiously to one pale cheek.

It's faint, but definitely there. Camus's Cosmo is still burning.

Milo lets out a breathy laugh. "Of course," He gasps, feeling a lump catch in his throat, "Of course you stupid dumbass. How could I ever think you were dead when you used to regularly put yourself in cold-induced comas when we were kids?"

Shaking his head, Milo shifts on the icy floor of the House of Aquarius so that he can settle Camus more comfortably in his lap, gripping one of his friend's hand in his own and wrapping his free arm around his the teal-haired man's shoulders.

Slowly, carefully, the same way Aiolos taught him when he was barely six years old, Milo begins to burn his Cosmo. It won't take much. Camus is highly resistant to cold, so it's only when his temperature gets within a few degrees of absolute zero that he gets like this.

It seems to take forever for Milo's fiery Cosmo to take effect, but he feels it when Camus's body starts to warm up, however slightly. Gritting his teeth, Milo resists the urge to burn his Cosmo at a higher level. He can't if he wants to do this right.

Eventually, Camus's skin starts to regain what little color it normally has, the frost covering his hair thawing.

Then, Camus shifts slightly.

"Camus?" Milo calls softly. "Hey, wake up."

Camus groans quietly and opens his mouth.

"You know damn well I'm awake you dolt." He grumbles.

Milo lets out another, wet laugh and ducks his head to press his face into his best friend's damp hair.

"Yeah." He sighs. "I do."

And for a moment-just a moment-all seems right with the world.

* * *

It's several weeks before Milo gets the chance to get answers for his question.

First, they must announce that the true Athena has returned and taken up her post as the ruler of Sanctuary. After that there is a multitude of tasks that are necessary for cleaning up Sanctuary.

Then, the bodies of the dead must be gathered and buried. Fortunately, thanks to the power of Lady Athena there are actually only three casualties of the entire conflict: Cancer Deathmask, Capricorn Shura, and Pisces Aphrodite.

Lady Athena insists that they all be given proper burials, despite their various crimes. It's a testament to just how forgiving the Goddess of Wisdom can be.

Finally, they have to treat the wounded and begin rebuilding the Houses of the Zodiac that suffered so much damage during the various battles.

Fortunately, Milo doesn't have to participate as much in that last step, as he's busy taking care of Camus.

The Aquarius Saint had managed to expend nearly all of his Cosmo fighting Dimitri's old student, and it makes it harder for him to regulate his own body temperature to the several-degrees-below-average temperature common to the ice-using Saints of Siberia.

Naturally, the task of keeping the ridiculously stubborn man from pushing himself too hard and inadvertently over-heating his body falls to Milo, as Hyoga, the only other person who could possibly complete such a monumental task, is recovering from his own wounds.

The amount of time Milo spends physically dragging-or carrying, depending on the situation-Camus back to his bed is comparable to the amount of time he spent training to master his Scarlet Needle technique.

Finally, nearly a full month after the battle of the Twelve House, just over a week after Camus is released from the hospital wing adjacent to the Pope's chambers, and with Hyoga and Camus having some much needed private time to reconcile with each other, Milo has a free evening during which he can finally go visit Saga.

It was decided-at the recommendation of Virgo Shaka-that Saga be placed in the prison located at the very back of the Pope's chambers, the one meant for Saints who had committed crimes against Athena, but hadn't yet been given a proper sentencing. Saga has spent the past month there, watched over alternately by Aldebaran and Shaka. It was decided that, given some of the things Saga was responsible for, it was best if Mu, Aiolia, and Milo were kept well away from the Gemini Saint.

Milo arrives at the prison the find Aldebaran on guard, just as he had expected. This is good. The massive Taurus Saint is far more likely to listen to Milo than Shaka is.

"Milo." Aldebaran greets in a slightly wary voice. Milo doesn't blame him. He hadn't exactly reacted well during his last meeting with his oldest brother.

For once, Milo is actually rather grateful that he chose to come without his Cloth, it will make what he's about to say a little more convincing. "I'm just here to talk to Saga, Aldebaran." He says.

"You're not supposed to be here at all." Aldebaran counters.

"I know." Milo sighs. "I just... I need to ask Saga a question. It's not private, you watch and listen in if you want. Just, please."

The Taurus Saint regards Milo skeptically for a long moment before sighing. "If this goes south, you're taking the blame." He finally grunts.

Milo smiles a little bit. "Sure thing, big guy. Thanks."

With that, he slips past his fellow Gold Saint and into the small cell that holds his older brother.

Saga looks a right mess. Dressed in a plain tunic and trousers as opposed to the Gemini Cloth, his posture slumped, he somehow manages to look incredibly pathetic, nothing like the powerful Saint of Milo's early memories.

The former Gemini Saint looks up as Milo enters the cell.

"What do you want, Milo?" He asks dully, not meeting the Scorpio Saint's eyes.

"Well the first thing I want is for you to look me in the eyes." Milo half-growls.

When Saga doesn't respond, Milo huffs and crouches down so he's on the same level as the older man. Silently, he grips Saga's chin and lifts it up. Still, the bluenette refuses to make eye contact.

"Wow," Milo muses, feeling distinctly spiteful, "One monumental screw up and you totally give up your pride as a Saint."

Saga scowls, and lifts his gaze to meet Milo's, only jerk in surprise when Milo smirks triumphantly. Underneath the scowl, Saga's eyes are dull and hopeless. It's so pitiful that Milo almost feels bad for him.

Almost.

"Much better." He says, letting go of Saga's chin and sitting back on his heels.

"What _else_ do you want, little brother?" Saga asks, somehow managing to fit both nothing and an entire world of emotion into those last two words.

Milo grins wickedly.

"Simple. Where _the hell_ is Kanon?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my. I like this one. I'd kind of like to write more of it some time. (But then, that's how I feel about a lot of what I post here.)
> 
> What do you all think?
> 
> See you next time.


	20. Rodario III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of a previous installment of Infinite Possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all the writing I'm doing right now, I've gotten very little actual, productive work done on my stories. (But at least this has been fun to write!)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"You have exactly five seconds to step away from her, Spectre." Scorpio Milo snarled, his red-painted nail pointed at the back of the Spectre's head.

Slowly, the Spectre turned his head towards Milo. "I'm not going to hurt her." He growled.

"I don't care!" Milo shot back. "Your Spectre friends are over there. You can join them."

The Spectre stood up, still moving slowly, and glared at Milo before heading to join the other Spectres.

Shun braced herself, and was about to stand up when a hand landed on her shoulder. She glanced up and found herself face-to-face with Sagittarius Aiolos, one of the oldest Gold Saints.

"Don't push yourself." Aiolos ordered. He lifted his free hand, glowing slightly with Cosmo. "Let me see."

It took Shun a moment to realize what he meant, but when she did she tilted her head back, baring her unarmored neck so the older Saint could see it properly. She flicked her eyes to the side to see that Milo had moved away, towards the three Spectres.

She flinched when Aiolos's fingers made contact with her throat, even the most gentle of contact sending pain shooting through her neck.

Aiolos stilled, and waited patiently for Shun to relax before trying again. This time, she didn't flinch, instead busying herself with trying to figure out who all had shown up.

Milo and Aiolos were obvious, but around her Shun could sense another half a dozen or so Cosmos, all belonging to Saints.

Lizard Misty was there, along with Cerberus Dante. They were two of the few Silver Saints that Shun could identify by Cosmo alone. Along with them was another Cosmo of roughly Silver level that Shun didn't recognize.

Along with the Silver Saints, Shun more easily identified three more Gold Saints.

Aquarius Camus's icy Cosmo burned slightly behind Aiolos, in the same direction that Milo had directed the Spectre. He had probably shown up with Milo. Those two were always together.

The lively Cosmo of Pisces Aphrodite was noticeable across the street, out of Shun's line of sight.

Lastly, a particularly steady Cosmo was approaching from Shun's right. Tilting her head a tiny bit, Shun caught a glimpse of long blue-purple hair the same shade as Milo's.

Gemini Saga strode purposefully up to Aiolos and Shun, his expression more serious than usual-if that was even possible.

"Damage?" Aiolos asked the Gemini Saint.

"It seems it's mostly buildings and some injured civilians." Saga reported. "No deaths reported yet. I hate to say it, but if what the villagers are saying is true, we have those Spectres to thank for that. What about here?" He looked down at Shun, who suddenly wished she could be anywhere else. Saga looked distinctly unhappy, his lips turned down at the corners.

"It's just a nasty case of bruising." Aiolos answered. "I'll have it mostly healed in just a minute. Can you go see what those Spectres are doing here? Other than apparently saving the village, at least."

Saga nodded and left, just as several more Saints appeared on the scene.

"Shun!" Ikki's voice drew Shun's attention as Aiolos pulled his hand away from her throat. The pain was significantly less noticeable now, and Shun was fairly confident she could breathe as speak without much trouble now.

The rest of the Vanguard was approaching from the direction of Sanctuary, all looking various stages of alarmed.

Aiolos stood up. "We'll need your report on what happened in a bit, so you should stick around, but let us handle the Spectres." He told Shun.

Shun nodded in acknowledgement before turning her attention to her brother.

Ikki reached Shun and promptly grabbed her by the arms, looking her over with no small amount of concern.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Shun shrugged her brother's hands off and smiled at him. "Fine." She said. Telling Ikki she had almost been choked to death was.. inadvisable. He'd probably demand they find some way to revive the thing that had done it just so he could get a hit in on it. That was just the kind of over-protective older brother Ikki was.

Before Ikki could question Shun anymore, Hyoga, who was standing behind the Phoenix Saint, turned and froze.

"Incoming!" The Cygnus Saint barked.

Shun followed his gaze, expecting more of the shadow creatures, only to see the same Spectre who had helped her earlier-the one with the dark eyes-headed straight for them.

"You! I'll kill you, you filthy traitor!" The Spectre roared, slamming into Ikki with enough force to throw the Phoenix Saint to the ground.

Shun moved more on instinct that anything, commanding her chains to wrap around the Spectre and prevent him from attacking her brother.

"Kyro, that's enough!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand... I leave it here. That's all I've got for now, but the first little bit of this was already written, so it wasn't too hard to expand on.
> 
> See you next time.


	21. Camus: Answers, Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camus finally gets answers. Why she's been brought to Sanctuary, what is expected of her, and her future comrades-in-arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know. I'm just... so many ideas, and none of them are related to Justice. (Or maybe I'm just not confident I can get the next chapter right and am stalling instead.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"I expect you have questions, let me see what I can do to answer them."

Sitting on the couch across from the Pope of Sanctuary, Camus feels very small, and very confused. She's grown up being told that she shouldn't question her elders-she should simply do as she's told and trust that those older than her know best-so Shion's words sound strange to her ears.

Camus hesitates, thinks hard. She needs to come up with a question that will require enough explanation that she won't have to ask too many more questions.

"What is a Saint?" She finally says. "You said I'm supposed to become one, but I don't even know what they are."

"Ah." Shion says, smiling. "That's an excellent place to start. Every two hundred and fifty years or so, the goddess Athena reincarnates in human form to fight against the gods Poseidon and Hades, who aim to destroy humanity. The Saints are the warriors who make up the army that fights for Athena. Saint use a power called Cosmo to fight, and wears an armor-called a Cloth-based on one of the eighty-eight constellations in the night sky. You will be training to become the Aquarius Gold Saint, one of the most powerful of Athena's Saints."

"What if I don't want to?" Camus asked, feeling rather petulant.

Shion's smile turns sad. "You were born to become a Saint. It was written in the stars the day you were born. You'll understand once you start to regain you memories."

That is, perhaps, the most confusing thins Camus has heard so far, so she asks for clarification.

"Sometimes, Saints will reincarnate from one cycle to the next, returning from the clutches of death to fight for Athena again. The best known instance of this is the Legendary Vanguard of the Bronze Saints, but sometimes there are others. Most of the Gold Saints from the last Holy War have reincarnated sometime in the last ten years."

Camus nods slowly. "Who are the other Gold Saints?" She asks next.

"You've already met a few of them. Saga is the Gemini Saint, and Aiolos is the Sagittarius Saint, and then there's the Capricorn Saint, Shura. Aiolia, Talus, and Nico are all candidates for the Leo Cloth. There's the Pisces trainee Aphrodite, and the Cancer trainee is named Mephisto. The rest of the future Gold Saints still need to be located and brought to Sanctuary, other than my student Mu. He will be the Aries Saint, but won't be ready to come to Sanctuary for a few months yet. They will all be your comrades-in-arms." Shion explains.

Camus pauses to think. She shouldn't ask too many more questions "I think I understand." She says.

Shion raises an eyebrow. "You're sure?" He asks, sounding skeptical. "I'm surprised you don't have more questions. Aiolos must have asked over a dozen questions."

Camus shrugs. "I've always been good at understanding things easily." She tells Shion.

Shion chuckles fondly at that. At Camus's confused look, he just shakes his head. "You're not the first person to say something like that to me. You should know that if you have any more questions you can come to me, or Aiolos or Saga. They'll be handling most of your training. But if that's all for now, I'll take you back down to the House of Aquarius so you can get settled. You start training tomorrow."

Camus doesn't see any reason to protest, so she nods yet again and gets up along with Shion, following him to the door of the sitting room.

They walk back down to the House of Aquarius. It's not all that long a walk, which is good because Camus feels exhausted.

They reach the House of Aquarius-Camus can't quite bring herself to think of it as hers yet-and Shion shows her where to find the entrance to the living quarters, then bids her goodnight and leaves.

Camus heads straight for the hallway that Shion had said leads to the bedrooms, and picks the one at the end of the hall. She doesn't know why, but it feels right. She sets her little pack down in a corner, changing quickly into her sleepwear, and falls into the bed. It's not especially comfortable by any means, but Camus can't be bothered to care, and falls asleep in between thoughts.

* * *

Camus wakes to the rising sun, and the smell of food. She leaves her room and follows her nose to what she assumes is the kitchen.

There she finds a woman, middle aged with greying brown hair, standing at the wood stove stirring a pan.

The woman turns to Camus. Her smile is kind, and instantly puts Camus at ease.

"You must be Camus." The woman says. When Camus nods, she continues. "My name is Maia. I'll be in charge of cleaning and cooking in the House of Aquarius for the time being. You'll be getting up at dawn each day to get ready for training. There's a bag with training clothes on the chair there. Go get changed, and I'll help you if you have trouble with any of the armor. Once you've had breakfast, one of the other Gold trainees will come to take you to the training grounds."

Camus bobs her head in acknowledgement. Everything is moving awfully quickly, so she doesn't think too hard about it and grabs the bag, returning to her room.

The clothes are a set of plain grey trousers and a tunic, and somehow fit perfectly, and the light weight, dark grey armor-leather, Camus thinks-is surprisingly easy to put on. Returning to the kitchen, Camus accepts a plate of eggs and sausage and a piece of lightly toasted bread along with a glass of water. It's good, and she's careful not to eat too fast as Maia does some cleaning around the kitchen.

Echoing footsteps draw Camus's attention to the hallway outside the living quarters.

"That must be Aphrodite." Maia says. She sets a canteen and a small bag on the table. "Here's water and food for when you stop for lunch. You'd best be going now, it's best not to be late to training."

Camus nods. "Thank you." She says, grabbing the bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Leaving the living quarters, Camus steps out into the main hallway of the House of Aquarius, and comes face to face with another child.

She can't immediately tell whether the child-who seems to be a few years older than her-is a boy or a girl. They have long, wavy pale blue hair and eyes of the same color, and are dressed in pale purple with grey armor much like Camus's own. A bag bag is slung across the child's shoulder, the same as Camus.

The child raises one fine eyebrow at Camus. "You're the Aquarius trainee?" They ask. Their French is better than Shura's, but not as good as Aiolos's was, and is heavily accented.

"I am. I'm Camus." Camus answers the very casual question.

"I see. I'm Aphrodite, the Pisces trainee." The other child says.

Camus doesn't say anything as she follows Aphrodite down the hall and out of the House of Aquarius. The boy from the night before-Shura-is waiting for them. He nods at Camus and Aphrodite, and mumbles a quick greeting before turning and heading down towards the House of Capricorn.

Aphrodite follows silently, and, after a moment of hesitation, Camus also follows.

It's time to start training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Likes? Dislikes?
> 
> There's probably more to come of this series as I already have some plans for it.


	22. Camus: First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camus's thoughts on her future comrades-in-arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm writing like crazy and getting absolutely nowhere. Anyone else ever feel like that?
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

Gemini Saga is a very serious person.

Camus can tell just by looking at him, even without speaking to him for very long. It's something in his eyes, in the way he holds himself even as he steps aside to let Camus and Pope Shion pass through the House of Gemini on Camus's first day in Sanctuary.

Soon enough, Camus comes to appreciate this particular trait of Saga's. It makes the oldest Gold Saint a pillar of peace and calm within the chaos that is training with so many children.

Sometimes, Camus stays near the older Saint just because it helps her settle down when the others are being rowdy.

* * *

The three Leo trainees are actually wildly different.

At ten years old, Nico is almost five years Camus's senior. Camus finds out quickly that Nico only started his training a year before she came to Sanctuary, which is apparently rather late for a Gold trainee.

She also discovers that Nico was actually a servant who was supposed to become one of the keepers of Sanctuary's massive library, but he got caught practicing basic Cosmo manipulation from a book, and was sent to train for the Leo Cloth instead.

Nico is quite skilled, although Camus isn't afraid to admit that part of that is because he's been training longer than she has. He seems to be a quick learner, picking up training moves and techniques with little to no trouble. It's a little daunting, but Camus gets over that quickly once she starts to get used to the training regimen.

The older boy also tends to look down on the younger trainees, even Aphrodite and Mephisto, who have been training longer than he has. Camus has no idea why, but finds it irritating nonetheless. She doesn't like being looked down on just because she's a child.

Talus, in comparison to Nico, is only a year older than Camus. He's cheerful and quite friendly, and thoroughly unafraid to make noise when he wants to be noticed, but not so much as to be obnoxious.

He isn't half as fast to pick up on new lessons as Nico is, but what he lacks in natural physical talent he makes up for with his quick wits and a sharply analytical mind. He's clever and has a habit of figuring out unique ways to learn the things he struggles with, and never hesitates to share his ideas with his fellow trainees.

Over time, and as she comes to understand more about the Saints, Camus gets the feeling that Talus isn't quite straightforward enough to be the Leo Saint, but that he'll be a formidable fighter one day.

Aiolia is Aiolos's little brother, and is a few months younger than Camus. He is by far the loudest of the three Leo trainees, all bright smiles and raucous laughter. He's not a slow learner, but he's clumsy in a way that Talus and Nico aren't.

It's pretty obvious that Aiolia really looks up to his older brother wants to be just like him. Fortunately, this hero worship seems to only spur the youngest Leo trainee on more, encouraging him to work harder and catch up to his older sibling. He isn't a natural like Nico, or especially clever like Talus, but he works twice as hard to make up for it.

It's the kind of determination that Camus can appreciate, and maybe even respect.

* * *

Aiolos is the second oldest Gold Saint, and guards the House of Sagittarius. It doesn't take Camus long to figure out where Aiolia gets his smiles and laughter from. Aiolos is a lot more mature that Aiolia is, but that is something Camus assumes will come with time-when Aiolia isn't a literal child anymore.

Aiolos handles a lot of the training for the young Gold trainees, more than Saga and Shura do, at least. He's very gentle and a patient teacher, which is good because Camus suspects that anyone with less patience than the brunette would try to strangle some of the others on a regular basis. Remarkably, Aiolos doesn't seem to mind the amount of time he spends around people younger and less mature than him.

The older Saint can be a bit much at times, because he occasionally gets just as excited as his little brother, but Camus respects him and always does her best not to cause trouble so he has more time to work with the others.

* * *

Shura, Camus decides, is supremely awkward. The recently named Capricorn Saint is very quiet and often holds back from interacting with the Gold trainees. It's not like he never steps in to lend a hand in training, especially with Camus when she first starts, but he's so very careful about it, like he's not quite sure how to interact with the children.

Even Mephisto and Aphrodite, who are only three and four years younger than Shura, respectively, aren't entirely free from this, for all that they seem to be the ones Shura gets along best with.

Shura is also a very dedicated person. Sometimes Camus pauses in her own training to watch Shura for a moment or two as he practices with the technique unique to the Saints of Capricorn: Excalibur. He practices the same movement over and over, a look of fierce concentration on his face, and sometimes adds actual Cosmo to it.

As she learns about Cosmo, Camus comes to understand that the purely Cosmo-based blade of Excalibur is quite possibly the sharpest weapon in the world. It's really no wonder that Shura is so determined to master the technique.

* * *

The Pisces trainee, Aphrodite, is the next Gold trainee that Camus meets. They meet in the main corridor of the House of Aquarius on the morning of Camus's first day of training. At first, Camus has no idea whether the older child is a boy or a girl, and has no idea how to ask, so she waits until she gets a chance to find out quietly. They're halfway down the steps between the Houses of Aquarius and Capricorn when Aphrodite turns to Camus, a rose clutched lightly between their fingers, and speaks up for the first time since greeting Shura at the front entrance to the House of Aquarius.

"If you're wondering, I'm actually a boy." He says. Camus is so surprised by the blunt words that she just nods mutely. She appreciates the clarification.

Aphrodite isn't loud, per se, but he's very _there_ in a way Camus can't quite describe. His presence is basically impossible to miss no matter how hard she tries to ignore it. It's less annoying than Camus initially though it would be, but it's still weird to be looking forward and know instinctively that there is someone directly behind you.

One day, Shura comments that Camus will eventually become good enough at sensing Cosmo that it will be like that with everyone. She's not looking forward to that day.

* * *

Mephisto is _annoying_. The Cancer trainee is loud and brash and obnoxious. Even Aiolia on a bad day isn't as bad as Mephisto is _at all times._

Camus sometimes wishes she could learn the ice-based techniques said to be common to Aquarius Saints sooner just so she could freeze Mephisto's mouth shut and get a few moments of blessed quiet. Simply put, she doesn't like Mephisto.

Then again, Mephisto really doesn't get along all that well with anyone but Aphrodite, with whom he has an oddly friendly rapport.

The future Cancer Saint seems to take particular offense at Nico's habit of talking down to the younger trainees. He responds to Nico's condescending words with hostility and anger, and often starts fights with the older Leo trainee.

At least, Camus reflects, Mephisto isn't one to take other people's rudeness lying down.

* * *

Kanon is somehow simultaneously exactly like his brother and completely different. They're identical twins-other than the fact that Kanon's hair is more pure blue than it is blue-purple like Saga's-and they are both the Gemini Saint, which Camus doesn't understand until Aiolos explains that Gemini is always a pair of twins.

But where Saga is quiet and reserved and serious, Kanon never seems to take anything seriously. He's not obnoxious like Mephisto, and he doesn't have Aphrodite's impossible-to-miss presence, but he seems hellbent on not letting anyone forget he's there, almost like he's scared to be forgotten.

Camus finds Kanon exhausting at the best of times, and downright infuriating-he has a nasty habit of encouraging the louder trainees to be even louder-at the worst of times.

To Kanon's credit, he's quick to jump in when Nico starts to get condescending with younger trainees, neatly shutting Nico up with a witty remark or a subtly biting comment. Camus will never admit it, but the look on Nico's face every time it happens-like hasn't come to expect it-is remarkably satisfying.

* * *

After Camus arrives in Sanctuary, it's several months before there's another Gold trainee for her to meet. This time, it's Master Shion's personal student, the Aries Saint-in-training, Mu. Camus soon learns that Mu, like Master Shion, is from Jamir, the home of the Lemurian Cloth Repairers located in Tibet.

Mu is quiet and reserved, and all around doesn't talk much. He's the same age as Camus, but is already way ahead of her-and even Aphrodite and Mephisto-in terms of his ability to manipulate Cosmo.

Although they don't talk very much at first, Camus appreciates Mu's quiet nature very much the same way she appreciates Saga's serious attitude.

It's only when Mu makes his way up to the House of Aquarius to ask if he can take a look around the library that they get to talking. They end up staying up half the night talking about Cosmo manipulation, and Mu gives Camus some handy pointers that no one else has brought up to her yet.

The two young trainees never become particularly close friends, but they do bond a little bit over their shared love of books. It's nice, Camus thinks, to be able to talk theory with someone her own age.

* * *

Aldebaran comes to Sanctuary just a few weeks after Mu does. He's from Brazil and is almost as impossible to miss as Aphrodite, but less because of his aura and more because he's awfully tall for a five-year-old.

At first, the Taurus Saint-to-be is very awkward and unsure around the other trainees. He reminds Camus a little of herself in her first month or so at Sanctuary. She doesn't blame him, everything is so new and big, and it's incredibly discouraging in its own way.

Of course, Mu somehow manages to take the Taurus trainee under his (very, very small) wing, and becomes the driving force in persuading the other boy to interact with his fellow trainees. It's not long before Aldebaran grows more comfortable with his fellows, and his big, booming personality starts to show itself.

Camus decides it's not so bad. Aldebaran doesn't let the fact that he's getting settled in Sanctuary make him slack off, and as time goes on Camus finds that he makes an excellent sparring partner, for his quickly increasing speed, if nothing else.

* * *

Future Virgo Saint Shaka comes to Sanctuary in September of the same year that Camus, Mu, and Aldebaran are brought to the home of Athena's Saint.

The newest Gold trainee is a little odd. He always keeps his eyes closed, and spends most of his time meditating rather than training with his fellow trainees.

Eventually Camus learns that all Virgo Saints keep their eyes closed in order to boost their power, which can only mean that Shaka has already accessed his Cosmo. It's quite impressive for someone who wasn't trained practically from birth the way Mu was.

Camus personally doesn't talk to Shaka much beyond greeting him in the mornings. She's not quite sure what to say to the blond boy, who is somehow more quiet than any of the other Gold Saints or Gold trainees. She gets the feeling that Shaka just plain doesn't have much to say, but he seems to be practically unflappable, and gives off a soothing aura that Camus enjoys.

They may not talk much, but their silences are never uncomfortable.

* * *

Milo, the last Gold trainee to come to Sanctuary, just plain _is_. He's loud and bright and energetic and never seems to stop talking, all fire and energy. It makes for a strange revelation that he is, in fact, Saga's and Kanon's little brother, who only wasn't brought to Sanctuary with the twins because he _literally hadn't been born yet._

Talus takes a near-instant liking to the Scorpio trainee, and it is through the black-haired Leo trainee that Milo settles into his place in Sanctuary. Much to Aiolos's, Saga's, and Shura's chagrin, they get along so well it's a little scary.

Camus actually finds herself avoiding Milo at first. She's not half as nervous as she was when she first came to Sanctuary-thanks in great part to Shura of all people-but speaking with Milo is just so _exhausting._ He seems to always have something to say, and quite obviously hates silence, in direct opposition to Camus.

The weird part about Milo is that from day one he seems bent and determined to befriend Camus no matter what. He's always trying to walk beside her on the way to the training grounds, asking to spar with her specifically, and sitting next to her when they stop to eat. Perhaps the worst part is that the others are all amused by Camus's predicament, especially Master Shion and the older Gold Saints.

It's annoying at first, but as the months pass and Milo's determination in the face of Camus giving him the cold shoulder fails to wane, Camus starts to get used to the unending stream of inane babble. Sometimes, in the quiet of the House of Aquarius at night, Camus almost thinks that the sound of Milo's voice might actually help her sleep. It's a truly bizarre thought, and she does her best to dismiss it every time.

* * *

Camus's fellow trainees are all over the place. They feel like some kind of messy puzzle, like a Gordian knot with no solution, but as time passes and they all begin to find their little niches, they start to fall into place. Slowly, one step at a time, they all begin to fit.

Of course, all good things must come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think? That was kind of a massive information dump, and I hope I got everyone's sections right. Some were harder than others, especially Nico and Talus, because they're my OCs and I have only my own brain as source material for them.
> 
> (And I almost forgot to put Kanon in there somewhere.)
> 
> Also, I think this is one of my longest chapters ever.
> 
> See you soon.


	23. Second Chance: Kanon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the fight against Loki in Asgard, and after the victory in the war against Hades, Athena gives her Gold Saints one more chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another one I've been thinking of writing for a while now.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

If there's one thing Kanon knows, it's that he's dead. There's no doubt about that. Blowing oneself up to in the interest of killing one of the Three Judges of the Underworld does not lend itself well to being alive. Kanon _knows this._

So why the hell does he not feel dead?

Not that Kanon knows what being dead is supposed to feel like, but he imagines it's either very unpleasant-like being trapped in Hell as punishment for defying a god-or very, very empty.

The point stands that Kanon is currently experiencing neither of those things. Instead, he's actually remarkably comfortable. As in, lying-on-something-very-soft-and-warm levels of comfortable. Which is weird, because at no point in his life has Kanon ever gotten to lie on anything this comfortable.

Instead of focusing on what he's lying on, Kanon lends his attention to figuring out what _the hell_ is going on.

First, he can feel every part of his body, and not in an "I'm in extreme pain" kind of way, but in an " I'm hyper-aware of everything" kind of way. It's very, very disconcerting.

Second, he can hear voices around him. They're all soft and a little muted, like he can't quite hear properly, so he has no idea what they're trying to say. He doesn't think they're talking to him though, so it's not like he has to worry about responding.

Number three. Cosmo. He can sense more than a dozen different Cosmos around him at varying distances. None of them are burning at a level necessary for combat, so Kanon figures he's not in any particular danger, but he supposes he should at least try to figure out who all these people are.

Carefully, Kanon extends his awareness out so that he can better sense the Cosmos around him.

Closest to him is a large mass of Cosmo so similar to Kanon's own that he almost misses it. "Almost" being the key word.

 _Fuck me._ Kanon thinks with all the petulance of an angry little brother. _Anyone but Saga._

Kanon willingly gave up the Gemini Cloth when Saga called for it in the Underworld, but he's not going to lie to himself and claim that part of that willingness didn't stem from the fact that they were in the middle of a literal war with the King of the Dead, and there's wasn't time for petty grudges. Kanon's genuinely not sure what he would say if he were to confront his older brother now.

But that's beside the point.

Past Saga is a trio of Cosmos, two of Gold-Saint level and one much smaller, almost to the point of being unnoticeable. Mu and Aldebaran. And Mu's pint-sized apprentice-Ikki?-no, that's the Phoenix Saint. It's something like that, though.

On Kanon's other side is Shaka, his Cosmo as infuriatingly placid as ever.

Then there's Dohko and Shion-huh-and an utterly massive but unmistakably calm Cosmo that can only be Lady Athena.

 _Athena brought us back. That's an improvement, right?_ Kanon thinks to himself. It really is, compared to the possibility that they could have been brought back by Hades.

Kanon's hearing is starting to clear up, and judging by the echo of the voices around him, he's in a large, stone-walled room. If the bed is any indication, he's probably in the infirmary wing adjacent to the Pope's chambers in Sanctuary. Assuming he's right, this is another point in the "This is a good development" category, as opposed to the "Something is very wrong" category.

Extending his awareness a bit farther, Kanon picks up on two more very similar Cosmos.

 _Probably Aiolia and Aiolos._ Kanon guesses to himself. _Athena probably brought us all back then._

After a second, Kanon decides to double-check just to be sure. Out of morbid curiosity, if nothing else.

Milo is asleep. There's no way he would be so quiet, his Cosmo so still, if he was awake. It's just not in the nature of the rowdy Scorpio Saint. Some things really don't change with time.

Then there's Aphrodite and Mephisto-he goes by something else now, doesn't he?

The last two Cosmos Kanon senses makes him draw back a bit at the sheer frostiness of them. One is undoubtedly Camus, as for the other...

 _Dimitri?_ Kanon wonders. _Didn't he die over a year ago?_

To be fair, Aiolos and Master Shion have been dead for more than a decade, but still. Dimitri isn't a Gold Saint-current or former-so Kanon's going to have to ask if he wants to know why Camus's old training partner was also brought back from the dead.

Or not. Definitely not.

All things considered, everyone around him seems reasonably calm. No screaming, fighting, or otherwise undesirable things are happening.

Having ascertained who all is around him, and confident that there is no immediate threat, Kanon decides that he might as well announce his awakening to the world. In the most obvious way possible.

"I died." He says, lifting his right arm from where it lies on top of the blanket covering him to throw it dramatically over his eyes. "I should be dead. _Why am I not dead?"_

Silence falls over the room.

There's a quiet sigh from above Kanon, and then, "Don't be overdramatic, Kanon. Lady Athena revived us all." Saga rumbles in a tone that drips exasperation.

"Don't you dare 'Don't be overdramatic, Kanon' me, you melodramatic jackass _._ " Kanon retorts. "Also, _duh._ "

Before Saga can come up with a suitable response, Athena's Cosmo approaches and her soft, melodic voice reaches Kanon's ears.

"It's good to see that you're awake, Kanon. Welcome back to the land of the living."

Kanon moves his arm enough that when he turns his head he can see his goddess as she smiles fondly at him. "I repeat: _Why am I not dead?_ "

Athena's smile widens. "There was an... interesting development during the war in the Underworld." She says.

Kanon moves his arm and sits up, surprised to find that he's not stiff at all. Turning to fully face the purple-haired goddess, he raises an eyebrow in question.

Athena takes a seat in the chair opposite Saga's. "It's a rather complicated story, and I'm only telling it once, so you'll have to wait until Milo wakes up." She says shortly. "But the short story is that the Holy Wars between myself and Hades are over-permanently-and as a sign of good will, Hades agreed to bring back you Gold Saints, as well as one other."

Kanon blinks. His brain suddenly feels very mushy as he tries to process what he's just been told.

"The Holy Wars are over. Permanently." He clarifies. Athena nods. "And Hades agreed to bring-" He pauses to do a head count "-fifteen Saints back?" He knows he's just parroting what his goddess has just said, but it's not quite making sense.

"Exactly." Athena tells him. She looks highly amused at Kanon's confusion, but doesn't say anything about it. Instead, she raises her voice a bit to address the room as a whole. "You're all staying here for the next few days so we can be sure there were no complications in your revival. We'll discuss our next steps in detail when I'm confident you're all back on your feet."

No one protests, and the young goddess leaves the assorted Saints to their own devices.

Slowly, Kanon turns to stare at his older brother. Saga stares back. Neither twin says anything.

"Feel free to stop trying to kill each other with your eyes at any moment." Dohko breaks the tense silence of the room, laughter in his voice.

Finally, Saga relents, averting his gaze from Kanon's. Kanon smirks, and then flops backwards on his bed, turning his back to Saga. After a moment he feels a slight tug on his hair. The message is clear.

_We'll talk later._

Later sounds like an excellent idea to Kanon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> This one's been sitting in the back of my head for a while now. I hope you liked it.
> 
> See you next time.


	24. Live Again I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two hundred years is a long time. As the Cosmos of his old comrades return one by one to the world of the living, an aging Pope Shion reflects on the past and future. On the pasts of the Saints just born into the world, and the future of those young lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! So I've always kind of wondered what it's like to be one of the only survivors of one Holy War, and to live for over two hundred years waiting for the next war to start. This is me, writing that. I hope it comes out okay.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

It's strange, the thought that Shion was once one of the youngest of the Gold Saints of Athena, and yet he has outlived all but one of his comrades. Of the twelve-thirteen, technically-Gold Saints, only Shion and Dohko remain after the Holy War of two hundred years ago. Even Regulus, who was younger than both of them, gave his life in the fight to stop Hades and his Spectres.

It's hard, sometimes. Shion misses his old comrades-in-arms. From Yuzuriha and Albafica, who he would consider some of his closest friends, to Asmita and El Cid, who he rarely interacted with. He misses them all.

Some days, Shion almost wishes he'd had the chance to join them. Not that he wants to die, because Saints don't fight to die, but because living without them is painful. Even Dohko, who is still alive, is out of his reach. They still talk often, almost every day in fact, but it's not the same. They haven't seen each other face-to-face since the end of the Holy War, when Shion took up the position of Pope and Dohko left for Lushan to guard the seal containing Hades's Spectres.

Even little Atla, who took up the position of Master of Jamir following the death of Master Hakurei during the war, has been dead for some decades now.

Now, Shion is one of only a few Lemurians left, and the only person left who knows the techniques of the Cloth Repairers.

This, Shion reflects as he stands on Star Hill. Staring up at the stars, the helm of the Pope removed for once and resting in his hands, Shion doesn't even try to hide the smile that curls his lips as he watches the constellation of Gemini light up the night sky.

 _Who would have thought that you two would be the first to come back, Aspros, Defteros?_ Shion thinks.

He hadn't known the Gemini twins very well. He had known _of_ Aspros, of course. One of the older Gold Saints and a candidate for Pope alongside Sisyphus, Aspros had been known as one of the strongest of Athena's Saints, but had also been something of a mystery to many of his fellows.

And of course Defteros had been a completely unknown quantity, someone the Saints of Athena were only peripherally aware of, and did not actually meet or get to know.

Shion can still remember his early days as a Saint, when he was just Sculptor Shion, and not Aries Shion. He remembers the day the news had come from Sanctuary that Pope Sage had chosen Sagittarius Sisyphus as his successor. And then, mere days later, there was much worse news.

Aspros's betrayal and indirect attempt on the Pope's life using his younger twin brother, and his subsequent death at the hands of that same brother. Defteros's self-exile to Kanon Island.

Then Aspros had reappeared as a Spectre. He had fought Defteros, and the younger twin had given up his life to save his brother's soul.

Master Hakurei had told him about the story of the Gemini twins. Of how, in every generation, there was one evil twin and one good twin. Yet Shion couldn't help but wonder.

_Did Pope Sage choose Sisyphus as his successor because of the story of Gemini? Did he make that choice because he couldn't be sure which twin was going to be "evil"? Did Aspros try to kill Pope Sage because he was evil already, or did he turn on us because he was angry he was passed over in favor of Sisyphus? Is it possible that the story of the Gemini twins is a self-fulfilling prophecy? Could that tragedy have been averted?_

Of course, there is no way for the former Aries Saint to know for sure. There is no one who could answer that question.

_I can only hope that I'm never faced with such a situation myself. And that if I am, it doesn't end in such tragedy again._

* * *

Sagittarius Sisyphus had quite possibly been the most respected of the Gold Saints. If Aspros was known for his strength as a warrior, Sisyphus had been know for his dedication and loyalty to Athena. He was righteous, wise, and fair, a model of Sainthood that everyone from the low-ranking Bronze Saints to the other Gold Saints had aspired to. He really would have made a splendid Pope.

Shion had looked up to the older Gold almost as much as he had looked up to Master Hakurei. At the time, Sisyphus was the kind of person Shion could only hope he could one day become like himself.

In his early days as Pope, when he was still unsure of himself, learning how to rule over Sanctuary in Athena's absence, Shion's thoughts often drifted to the Sagittarius Saint.

_What would Sisyphus do?_

Not that he ever really had an answer. For all he looked up to Sisyphus, Shion hadn't know the man all that well on a personal level.

Soon enough, Shion had given up that train of thought. He could only to rule to the best of his abilities and hope that it was enough.

Of course, for all he had been the role model for so many Saints, Sisyphus had borne his own burdens. He had been the one tasked with locating and retrieving the reincarnated Athena, and Shion had more than once seen the Sagittarius Saint look at their goddess with no small amount of guilt. Knowing of the peaceful life that Lady Sasha had lived before being brought to Sanctuary, Shion didn't blame the older man for feeling guilty.

Just because something is necessary, doesn't mean it isn't painful.

Shion is alone when he feels Sisyphus's Cosmo for the brief moment that tells him the dead Saint has been reborn. It doesn't last long. Infants don't have access to their Cosmo, and it can take years for them to gain that access. Shion won't even be able to locate his reincarnated comrades for quite a while yet.

But he has waited this long, the few years it will take for him to be able to find the children who will become the Gold Saints is nothing compared to the two hundred years he has already waited.

* * *

The next time he feels a Cosmo return, Shion is not alone.

It's early in the evening, and Shion is caught up in his duties as Pope. He is in the middle of a meeting with Silver Saint Commander Lizard Myron, the leader of the Amazons, Camelopardalis Helene, and a few others who also serve as advisors.

(The irony of a man with over two hundred years of life experience having advisors is not lost on Shion, but he knows perfectly well that he can't exactly rule from the Pope's Chambers if he doesn't know what's going on in the Sanctuary proper.)

The sudden feeling of El Cid's Cosmo slipping back into the world catches Shion off-guard and he instinctively latches onto the feeling.

Shion hadn't known El Cid very well. Sure he had respected the Capricorn Saint much like he looked up to Sisyphus, but El Cid's near-single-minded focus on honing his Excalibur into the ultimate blade had left very little time for the dark-haired man to spend with others.

In fact, the only person Shion is at all sure El Cid might have called a friend was Sisyphus, and sometimes he wonders if that friendship was as much a product of the amount of time the Capricorn and Sagittarius Saints spent working together as it was of actual affection.

Not that it made a difference. El Cid had never strayed from his duty as a Saint, even giving up his own life to keep Pegasus Tenma alive so that they still had a chance of winning the Holy War.

Shion occasionally wonders if El Cid would have survived the Holy War if he hadn't had to sacrifice himself the way he did, or if he simply would have died later on.

 _Who will you be, this time?_ Shion wonders. _Will you the same dedicated man from two centuries ago? Or will you, perhaps, learn to find joy in life outside of your duties as a Saint?_

It's not that there is anything wrong with being wholly focused on one's duty as a Saint, but that kind of focus can lead to a very lonely existence. Shion supposes, quietly, that he can only wait and see what kind of person the new Capricorn Saint will be.

"Pope Shion?" Myron's voice draws Shion out of his train of thought, and he quickly backtracks through the last few moments of the conversation, suddenly very grateful for his ability to absorb information without fully focusing on the source.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Camelopardalis Helene on this matter." Shion says, temporarily brushing all thoughts of his old comrades away.

The time to find them will come later. For now, Shion has a job to do.

* * *

Manigoldo's return to the world of the living catches Shion quite off-guard. He wakes up with a soft, startled yelp, sitting up in his bed in the Pope's Chambers and looking around frantically for a moment before his sleep-muddled thoughts clear.

In a moment, he is up and dressed in a simple robe, teleporting straight from his chambers to Star Hill, where he quickly locates the constellation of Cancer where it shines in the night sky.

A faint chuckle escapes Shion as the stars of Cancer seem to flicker and dance, much like the spirits of the Cancer Saint's primary attack. Normally the burst of Cosmo that signals a person's rebirth only lasts a few precious moments, but Manigoldo's seems determined to stick around.

Manigoldo had been Pope Sage's personal student. Lively, untamable, and far from willing to bow to authority of any kind, Manigoldo had still be a remarkably loyal Saint. He had just done things in his own way. With great gusto.

To Shion, it's really no wonder that the wild Saint of Cancer was partially responsible for sealing away one of the Twin Gods, even if it resulted in his death. In fact, he's fairly sure that Manigoldo would not willingly go out any other way. That was just the sort of person Manigoldo was.

Somehow Shion gets the feeling that this new Cancer Saint will not be very different from the man he was two hundred years ago. He can't really say that he'll complain if that feeling turns out to be right.

Manigoldo could be exceedingly infuriating when he wanted to be-much to Pope Sage's chagrin-but he brought a sort of life to the Twelve Houses that was quite welcome in the years leading up to Hades's awakening.

* * *

Shion nearly cries when Albafica's Cosmo crosses his senses.

In his younger years, after he became the Aries Saint and was sent to Sanctuary, Shion had been rather intrigued by the reclusive Pisces Saint.

It would be a lie to claim that his interest wasn't at least partially related to Albafica's appearance. The bluenette had been absolutely stunning. But Shion had always been more curious about the guardian of the twelfth House as a person.

It had taken months of work, of trip after trip after trip up to the top of the Twelve Houses, but Shion had eventually persuaded Albafica to talk to him. It had been across the hedge that bordered Albafica's garden, with Shion using his psychokinesis to avoid being poisoned by the roses, yet it had been completely worth it.

Underneath the Pisces Saint's distant exterior was a gentle personality with a subtle-if rather sharp-sense of humor. The two Saints had spent many days talking while Albafica tended his gardens. Dohko had also taken to joining them after Shion befriended the unruly Libra Saint purely by accident, and Shion considered the other two men to be his closest friends among the Gold Saints.

When the time came, it had made Albafica's death even more painful. The Pisces Saint had served Athena faithfully, sacrificed so much of himself in the name of the goddess, and had been rewarded with death at the hands of one of Hades's Judges.

Shion knows he shouldn't be bitter about it-every Saint goes into battle knowing they might not make it out alive-but he has always thought that Albafica, out of everyone who died in the Holy War, deserved a chance to live normally, or at least to live a full life. It's not fair to the other Saints who sacrificed themselves for the sake of victory, but a tiny, spiteful part of Shion doesn't care. A tiny, angry part of him still wishes that Albafica was still standing beside him.

Staring out over the gardens of the House of Pisces, Shion knows he can't be the friend to this new Pisces Saint that he tried to be to Albafica-he must be a master first and a friend second-but he hopes that someone else will see now what he saw two hundred years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna leave it here for now, and probably write the rest another time.
> 
> See you next time.


	25. Live Again II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two hundred years is a long time. As the Cosmos of his old comrades return one by one to the world of the living, an aging Pope Shion reflects on the past and future. On the pasts of the Saints just born into the world, and the future of those young lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of the last chapter, because I don't like making my chapters too long so I decided to split it up. Also, I number my documents with Roman numerals, and it's getting real fun to keep track of.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

It seems to happen in a rush, the return of the rest of Shion's old comrades. Almost as though the long-dead Saints are no longer willing to wait to come back and reunite.

A part of Shion thinks it's sad, really. All of his old friends are returning to life once again, but for the sole purpose of fighting in another war.

The aging Pope lets out a soft, wet laugh, tears burning his eyes as he stares down at some late night paperwork. Of all the survivors of the last Holy War who passed between the end of the war and this moment, two hundred years later, Shion hadn't expected to feel this Cosmo again.

"Hello, Yuzuriha." He whispers.

Following the loss of her Cosmo during the War, the Crane Saint had returned to Jamir, accompanied by the equally Cosmoless Unicorn Yato in order to help rebuild what was left of her home. The two retired Saints had spent years learning to live without their Cosmo, and when Yuzuriha had made the decision to leave Jamir to search for more potential survivors of her people, Yato had gone with her.

Years of travelling and searching had yielded only three Lemurians: brother and sister pair Itsuki and Laisha, and Yato and Yuzuriha's own daughter, Miki.

They had ultimately returned to what remained of Jamir, settling down to raise their child. Itsuki and Laisha had come with them, eager to learn more about their heritage.

Shion still remembers the joy at finding out that there were a few of his people left, and how he had snuck out of Sanctuary to meet his newly found kinsfolk.

Two hundred years later, and Shion can only stare at the stars outside his window in wonder. With Yuzuriha's Cosmo gone, he hadn't thought the fearsome Crane Saint would be able to reincarnate.

 _Perhaps it's time to make another trip to Jamir._ He thinks to himself.

* * *

Sensing Degel's Cosmo is very much like having a bucket of ice and water dumped over his head.

(Considering the number of times Tokusa pulled that exact prank on him, Shion would certainly know.)

Degel was another Saint Shion had respected but not known much about. The Aquarius Saint had grown up in Bluegrad in the far north, and trained under Aquarius Krest outside Sanctuary. When he finally did come to Sanctuary, he had isolated himself heavily, interacting with others only when he really had to.

With the exception of Kardia, of course. Because Degel was the only one capable of helping the rowdy Scorpio Saint through his frequent fevers, and because Kardia was nothing if not stubborn.

Degel had been a scholar. Shion is fairly sure he never saw the green-haired man without a book in his hands or tucked under his arm. Looking back on it, the Lemurian supposes that reading was probably Degel's passion in the same way that training was El Cid's. The rather impressive collection of books stored underneath the House of Aquarius-enough to be considered a small library-is proof of that.

Shion can't help but think that all that accumulated knowledge of Degel's would have come in handy these past two centuries. But, of course, it wasn't meant to be.

Degel had given his life to prevent Poseidon from reviving in the eighteenth century. His sacrifice had saved human lives, and saved the rest of Sanctuary a considerable amount of trouble. It hadn't made it any less painful for those left behind, to lose another comrade.

Something small catches Shion's attention. He can't put his finger on it, but something about Degel's Cosmo feels a little different from the way it did two hundred years ago, as though it has shifted ever so slightly.

_I'm going to have to wait until it's time to find you to learn what that is, aren't I?_

It seems Degel will be a mystery in this life too.

* * *

Taurus Rasgado's-no, Taurus Aldebaran's-Cosmo is as big and booming as Shion remembers it.

Aldebaran had always seemed larger than life to Shion. Part of it had been his size-the man was simply massive-but it was also his personality.

The Taurus Saint had never been afraid to laugh in difficult times. Not that he wasn't serious when the time called for it, he had just been... lively. Cheerful even.

Also, he was ridiculously fast for someone so big. Shion often wished, as a young Saint, that he could be that fast. It would certainly have proved useful.

The fact that Aldebaran had been taken out by a pair of relatively low-ranking Spectres had seem unbelievable, back when it first happened. Shion supposes that it couldn't be helped though. Aldebaran hadn't even begun to recover from his injuries at the hands of the Bennu Spectre who had been after Dohko, and his students and Tenma had been there.

He had died protecting them, and taken down his killers in the process. It had been, if nothing else, completely in line with the kind of person Aldebaran had been.

Shion hopes, with all his heart, that the new Taurus Saint will retain Aldebaran's kind heart. In a world of warriors and battles, a little kindness can go a long way.

* * *

It's just a touch surprising to find that Regulus will not be the youngest Gold Saint this time. Shion isn't really sure why he expected that the fierce little Leo Saint would be reborn last, considering that Aspros and Defteros were born first this time, just that he did.

Regulus had really lived up to his title as the Saint of the Lion. He had been ferocious in battle, a talented fighter who truly embodied the idea that a technique does not work on a Saint twice.

For all his youth, Regulus had never backed down from a fight, even going so far as to take on a Judge of Hades on his own. Of course, considering that Rhadamanthys was responsible for killing Regulus's father Ilias, Shion can't blame the boy. The former Aries Saint can sympathize to some extant, having lost his master, Hakurei, to Hades.

The night after Regulus is reborn, Shion stares up at the night sky and chuckles. He's not surprised at all by what he reads in the stars.

When Sisyphus's reincarnation was finally old enough to come to Sanctuary, Shion had read in the stars that he needed to leave the future Sagittarius Saint alone, and now he understands why.

 _Sticking close to your uncle, are_ _you?_ He thinks of the new Leo Saint. _Now I can finally go find both of you. It's been too long already._

* * *

Two hundred years later, and Shion still isn't sure what to make of Virgo Asmita.

No one-except maybe Lady Athena-really understood the "Man Closest to the Gods". From the moment he came to Sanctuary to the day he left for Jamir and failed to return, he rarely-if ever-left the House of Virgo, and spoke to others only when it suited him.

Shion has done his research since then, and has come to understand on some level that such has been the nature of the Virgo Saints since, well, pretty much the beginning of the Holy Wars. The Saint of Virgo is without fail among the most powerful of the Gold Saints in each cycle, but that power comes from a sort of spiritual enlightenment that often leads to a certain level of jadedness. Out of all of Athena's Saints, the Virgo Saint is one of the most aware of the faults of humanity.

Asmita, Shion suspects, was even more sensitive to that than his predecessors.

A significant part of Shion doubts that Asmita will be different now from how he was two centuries ago, but he somehow thinks that it won't be the end of the world.

Asmita hadn't been a particularly friendly person. He hadn't ever opened up to his fellow Golds Saints, but Shion remembers the smile on the man's face as he left Sanctuary for the last time, remembers the little figure who had stood beside him and watched as the Virgo Saint left.

_You didn't form bonds with the rest of us the way we did with each other, but there was someone there for you, right at the end. Perhaps you'll find each other again in this life._

* * *

Kardia. Athena above, Scorpio Kardia.

For all that Shion remembers Manigoldo as a man with a penchant for doing things he wasn't supposed to and ignoring orders, he remembers Kardia as being infinitely worse. The blue-haired Scorpio Saint had been loud and lively and unmanageable and had regularly picked fights with pretty much anyone he could provoke.

Okay, not quite anyone. Kardia had favored opponents that could match him in strength and ferocity, but the point stands that he had loved to fight. He had often said it was the only way that he felt alive.

Shion no longer truly remembers when he'd found out about Kardia's heart disease, just that he had thought at the time that the man must be absolutely mad to become a Saint and push himself as hard as he did-to the point of being in literal physical pain that only Degel could relieve.

From the moment of his birth Kardia had been sentenced to an early death, and had decided to live his life to the fullest in his own way. As someone who is predisposed to live for two or three times as long as the average human, Shion's not sure he'll ever understand.

He hopes that, whoever this new Scorpio Saint is, he won't go through what Kardia did all those years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that. Is. It. Finally. Not that it wasn't fun to write this one, but it was hard.
> 
> See you soon.


	26. Mission: Siberia I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the younger Gemini twin, Kanon has to find ways to make himself useful. A trip to Siberia on orders from the Pope takes a turn for the worse when Kanon finds something he never could have expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently the Gold Saints are my new source of inspiration, so expect a lot of stuff with them in it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

After years of isolation, Kanon has learned to appreciate whatever freedom he can find. Sometimes that freedom is wandering around Sanctuary in the dead of night, hiding to avoid the occasional guard while otherwise being free to roam. Other times that freedom comes in the form of the missions Master Shion sends him on.

It had taken months of reasoning and arguing and on occasion flat out begging to persuade the aging Pope of Sanctuary to let him do something _-anything-_ that didn't involve hiding on the outskirts of Sanctuary.

Not that Kanon can blame the former Aries Saint. Until just five years ago, it was unheard of for any younger Gemini twin to do anything but hide or sometimes take over for their older sibling should they fall in battle. Breaking such a tradition could hold heavy consequences if Athena doesn't approve when she reincarnates.

As if the risk of bringing their goddess's wrath down upon them isn't enough, Saga had thrown a fit when he found out what Master Shion was planning let Kanon do. It was the first time the near-inseparable Gemini twins had ever had a real argument.

_"It's too dangerous. You're not allowed to use your Cosmo unless Pope Shion gives you permission? What if you run into trouble?"_

_"Do you have any idea how many people get around without Cosmo, Saga? Most of Earth's population! If they can do it, why can't I?"_

_"We're not most of Earth's population, Kanon. You could run into all sorts of dangers that normal people don't even know exist."_

_"And you're going to face all kinds of danger once the Holy War starts too! Dangers way worse than anything I could run into while running_ errands _."_

_"I want you to be safe, Kanon."_

_"...You can't protect me forever, Saga."_

So it was that Kanon was sent out on his first mission. It was simple, just running a message to Old Master Dohko at Five Old Peaks in Lushan. It had taken about a week and a half, between the flight from Greece to China and then actually getting to Lushan and hiking from the nearby village to Lushan Falls where the Old Master lived. Then he got two days' recovery time (which was really just Master Shion's excuse to let Kanon stretch his legs and use his Cosmo at full strength for a bit before having to go back to hiding) before he had left to come home.

Kanon had appreciated that last bit, and for all that most Saints would consider running messages to be beneath someone of Gold Saint level, the young Gemini had enjoyed the excursion. Getting to run wild for two whole days had been exactly what he needed to settle some of the twitchiness he tended to develop being in Sanctuary all the time.

Also, for an old man, Master Dohko actually made for good company. He was contrary and talked in circles when he didn't want to answer a question, but he had been perfectly willing to tell Kanon stories about his youth, provided Kanon didn't dig too much if the old Libra Saint was clearly avoiding a topic.

In the years since that first mission Kanon has made a number of trips to Lushan to visit the Old Master.

Not to say that the only thing Kanon does is run messages to Lushan. His natural ability-honed over long years of practice-to make his Cosmo resemble that of a normal person is invaluable, and Master Shion has sent him on a number of missions that others would be hard pressed to carry out.

Kanon's personal favorite type of mission is the kind that sends him to Sanctuary's foreign training grounds. He's been all over the world and experienced all sorts of cultures, seen the training methods of dozens of trainers, and exposed more than one case of a corrupt master.

(Kanon takes, perhaps, more satisfaction than is strictly necessary in making sure other children don't face the same kind of abuse of power that he and Saga faced with their original master.)

That being said, this newest mission is _not_ one Kanon is enjoying.

 _I knew Siberia would be cold, but this is insane._ Kanon thinks as he hikes across the frozen tundra in the direction of the East Siberian training grounds. Reaching up with one gloved hand, he pulls his thick scarf-a long piece of blue fabric of Lemurian make gifted to him by Master Shion when he went to Greenland two years ago-up further over his face and ducks his head a bit against the winds.

In the five years since his first errand to Lushan, Kanon has been all over the world, but he's never been this far north before. And it. Is. _Cold._

A sense of amusement flashes through the back of Kanon's mind, and he groans quietly, the sound lost to the howling of the wind.

 _"You're the one who said yes to going up there."_ Saga's voice echoes over their shared mental connection.

(It's the thing about being twins born under the Gemini constellation and also having powerful Cosmo-Kanon and Saga can sense each other and communicate over pretty much any distance at any time. It's nice... most of the time.)

Kanon responds to his twin's amusement with a sharp mental smack of irritation.

 _"Shut up."_ He thinks at the minutes-older Gemini. " _It's been months since my last trip out. What was I going to say? No?"_

Saga hums in acknowledgement, then moves on to the real reason he's contacted his brother, just like Kanon knew he would.

 _"Do you remember what you're supposed to be doing out here?"_ He asks.

 _"Goddess above, of course I remember. I'm the one who told you what I'd be doing."_ Kanon grumbles back. Before Saga can respond, he repeats what Master Shion had told him before sending him out.

_"There's some discrepancies in the reports coming from Master Vanya, the master of the East Siberian training ground. Master Vanya has three students: Camus, who is the Aquarius trainee, Dimitri, who is training to become the Crystal Saint of the Blue Warriors of Bluegrad, and Ivan, who will probably be given the Eridanus Cloth. Up until about three months ago, reports suggested that all three were on track to finish their training in the next six months. Dimitri still is, but the other two are a different matter._

_"Ivan's progress has been steady the entire time he's been training. Recently, however, he's stagnated. Several months' worth of reports say pretty much the same thing, with almost the same wording in every report._ _Camus is basically a prodigy. Not that that's uncommon for a Gold trainee, especially an Aquarius, but she's doing really well. In her case, it's not that she's stagnated, but rather that she's flat out regressed. As in, supposedly no longer able to perform techniques that she was supposed to have mastered ages ago._

_"The last time someone came to check out this training ground Master Vanya everything seemed absolutely perfect. Like, unnaturally perfect. Master Shion was suspicious of that, so he's sending me instead. See? I remember."_

Saga seems pleased by Kanon's report.

_"Good luck then. And make sure to be back in the village before dark, you don't want to be caught out on the tundra at night."_

_"I_ know _Saga. I'll finish this up and be back soon."_

With that, Kanon pointedly blocks out his brother, a trick both of them have mastered over the years since awakening their Cosmo-nothing like a complete lack of privacy to drive you nuts-and focuses back on the tundra ahead of him. It's not snowing, but there's no guarantee that the good weather will last, so he has to move quickly.

Kanon glances up, squinting at the sun. It's a little past ten o'clock, leaving about seven hours until sunset, so Master Vanya and his three students will still be at the training area, where there is plenty of space for Kanon to hide and observe them.

The eighteen-year-old keeps moving, and after a little while longer the training area comes into view. Specifically, the circle of ice structures that functions as a makeshift Colosseum.

Even as his destination comes into view, Kanon knows something is wrong. The fact that he has to keep his Cosmo hidden on this kind of mission doesn't stop Kanon from being able to sense the Cosmo of others, which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that as he nears the frozen Colosseum, Kanon can't actually sense anything that even remotely resembles a Cosmo.

 _This is weird._ Kanon thinks. _I memorized the training schedule Master Vanya uses. Mornings are always used for sparring._ An unpleasant thought comes to the teenager's mind. _Could that have been faked?_

Shaking off the thought, Kanon speeds up his pace and heads for one of the openings between ice structures. As he approaches, he realizes that he can't hear anything from within the circle. Not the yells of a sparring match, or the voice of a someone giving instructions. Nothing. With his back pressed firmly against one of the ice formations, Kanon peers carefully around the side and into the Colosseum.

 _There's nothing there._ Kanon is briefly confused before he sees it. _A person?_

Sure enough, a figure shaped like a person is lying in the middle of the circle.

Kanon takes a moment to glance around, stretching his senses as much as he can without using his Cosmo, but there's no one around except him and the other person.

Finally, he steps into the circle and makes his way to the downed figure.

 _This must be Master Vanya._ Kanon thinks. It's the only explanation, given that he's looking at a fully grown man. _But what's he doing lying in the middle of the sparring ground? And where are his students?_

Carefully, Kanon crouches down and reaches out to roll the man over.

And promptly begins cursing in every language he knows-there's a lot of them, and his repertoire of curses is quite vast-as he takes the man in.

Master Vanya's skin is blue, and covered in a very fine layer of frost. His eyes are wide open and glazed as he stares up, unseeing.

Kanon groans and leans back on his haunches. This is _not_ what he signed up for.

Extending his mind out along the link he shares with his brother, Kanon calls out.

 _"Saga?"_ By this point it's maybe seven in the morning back in Greece, but training starts early and Saga was already up before this, so he should answer shortly.

 _"Just a moment."_ Comes Saga's clipped response, accompanied by a sense of deep concentration. He must be sparring, probably with Aiolos.

Kanon waits the few moments it takes Saga to finish the spar and presumably request a break. Finally, his brother responds to him.

 _"Is something wrong Kanon? You sound..."_ Saga's telepathic voice trails off.

 _"I need you to link me up with Master Shion. I kinda ran into a problem."_ Kanon tells him. For all his psychic prowess, Kanon isn't able to reach Master Shion while he's this far from Greece. But Saga can reach Master Shion easily, so he acts as a go-between for his younger twin and the Pope. It's a handy trick for the occasions when Kanon needs to report something that can't wait until he gets back to Greece.

It's only the work of a moment for Saga to telepathically reach Master Shion.

 _"Kanon? What is it?"_ Master Shion asks, obviously worried. Kanon doesn't blame him, given that this was meant to be pretty simple as his errands usually go.

 _"I found just found Master Vanya."_ Kanon tells the Pope. _"He's dead."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have plans to continue this one sooner or later. Probably in the next chapter. Until then, tell me what you think.
> 
> See you next time!


	27. Mission: Siberia II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concept: As the younger Gemini twin, Kanon has to find ways to make himself useful. A trip to Siberia on orders from the Pope takes a turn for the worse when Kanon finds something he never could have expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

_"Dead?"_ Master Shion repeats after a moment of silence.

 _"Yeah. Frozen to death by the looks of it."_ Kanon tells him. In the background of their telepathic conversation he can sense Saga's alarm at the news.

Master Shion sighs-well, it's more like a sense of resignation than an actual sigh-and seems to take a moment to collect his thoughts.

 _"Where are Master Vanya's students?"_ The Pope asks.

 _"Not here."_ Kanon responds bluntly. _"And wherever they are, it's far enough away that I can't sense them."_ He adds.

 _"Find them._ _"_ Master Shion orders him. _"Use your Cosmo if you need to, but figure out where they are and confirm their status. If they're alive, make sure they're safe first and foremost."_

_"And if they don't trust me? It's not like they'll know who I am."_

_"Tell them you're an agent of Sanctuary."_ Master Shion instructs him. _"That's all they need to know."_

 _"Fair enough."_ Kanon agrees. _"I'll report once I know something."_

 _"Master Vanya's students come first."_ Is the response he receives. _"You can report to me once you're sure they're either safe or dead."_

With that, the old Lemurian's mind disappears. Kanon winces. It's not that he isn't aware that the three kids could be dead, as it's always a possibility when it comes to Saint training, it's just that he doesn't want to think about them being dead. It's not exactly a pleasant thought.

Saga's mind presses comfortingly against Kanon's, clearly having picked up on his twin's dark thoughts.

 _"Don't focus on the worst-case scenario so quickly."_ The older Gemini murmurs gently. _"You don't know anything for sure yet. Find the children first."_

 _"I know."_ Kanon huffs. _"I'll talk to you later."_ He tells his twin, and lets their connection slip away, fading back to the subtle-but-constant awareness that it usually manifests as.

Closing his eyes, Kanon lets his mind focus outward, spreading his awareness of Cosmo out as far as he can, then letting a bit of his Cosmo free to expand his range further.

At first there's nothing, just the general sense of emptiness that comes with a near complete lack of Cosmo-other than the Cosmo of the Earth itself, which Kanon is so used to that it only barely registers to his senses in the first place-but then he picks up a few faint traces of Cosmo. It's just the people from the village, though. None of what he's sensing is big enough to be a Saint trainee.

 _Further._ Kanon thinks. _I need to reach further._ He gives up on the idea of being subtle with his sensing, and just reaches out.

For a long moment there's nothing. And then...

_There!_

Off to the north of the makeshift Colosseum where Kanon is there are two Cosmos, both large enough to actually be worth taking notice of.

Straightening up from his crouch and taking a moment to stretch out his stiff limbs, Kanon turns to head in the direction he sensed the Cosmos, leaving Master Vanya's body behind. It can wait.

Stepping out of the circle of ice slabs means stepping out of their protection, and Kanon makes a face when the viciously cold wind smacks him in the face. He ducks his head against it, cursing as he notices the snow that has begun to fall.

 _Whoopee._ He thinks. _This is exactly_ _what I needed-a blizzard on top of the dead Saint trainer I already found. Hopefully those three kids are more cold-resistant than their master. I would really hate to find them dead too._

Something else occurs to him.

_Ah crap. I'm only sensing two Cosmos. Where's the third one?_

Shaking his head, Kanon takes to scanning the area ahead of him, looking for any sign of his quarry.

It must be a good half an hour of walking before he sees what he's looking for. Ahead of him, two small shapes are making their way through the steadily worsening blizzard. They're moving slowly, and Kanon only has to pick up his pace a bit to reach them.

"Hey!" He yells over the wind. "Hey! Kids! What are you doing out here?"

His calls catch the attention of one of the small figures, and it stops, turning to look back at him. It's a boy with a fluff of white hair, dressed in thick, sturdy clothes clearly designed to ward off the cold, much like Kanon's own coat.

Upon getting closer, Kanon realizes the second figure, a child of indeterminate gender with straight teal hair, is actually slung over the white-haired boy's back, no doubt unconscious.

The boy stares at Kanon, clearly wary but not making any attempt to run.

As he reaches them, Kanon frowns.

"What are kids like you doing out here?" He demands. He thinks he already knows, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

The boy looks confused and shakes his head. The wind is really starting to pick up and Kanon can barely hear himself think, so it's not surprising the kid can't hear him even at this distance.

Instead of risking his voice, Kanon reaches out with his mind. The kid has absolutely no psychic barriers and Kanon reaches into his mind with little problem. Normally he wouldn't intrude on someone else's mind like this-at best it's ethically questionable by Lemurian standards, and it goes against Kanon's own personal morals to boot-but he's distinctly lacking in the options department right now.

_"I asked what you're doing out here in this mess, kid."_

The boy stares at him in confusion, mouth working uselessly. _"What is that?"_ Kanon hears the voice in his head.

 _"It's the guy standing in front of you. I'm using telepathy."_ Kanon tells him patiently. He draws his mind back a bit, giving the boy space to think without Kanon overhearing by accident. _"Now answer the damn question."_

Understanding makes its way across the kid's face, and he nods. _"My sister and I were out playing when she slipped on the ice and hit her head. I'm trying to get her home, but it's slow going, and then this storm blew in too."_

 _"You realize you're going in the wrong direction to get back to town, right?"_ Kanon points out blandly as he crouches down to get a better look at the unconscious girl.

Sure enough, he can see a bit of blood on the girl's temple and in her hair, frozen in the cold.

 _"We live outside of town with our father."_ Is the response he receives. _"It's closer than the town."_

 _"And your dad is... where, exactly?"_ He asks.

_"In town. He has work. We're allowed to go out and play alone as long we're careful. The fall was a-an accident."_

_"Okay."_ Kanon thinks slowly. He pulls his backpack off his shoulder and drops it on the ground. _"Okay. Give me your sister. You lead the way and I'll carry her to your house."_

His offer gets a suspicious glare-smart kid-but he ignores it and turns his back. It's quite a sign of trust. With Kanon's back turned, the boy could easily knock him out and leave him to freeze to death.

There's nothing for a few seconds, then a weight on his back. It takes both Kanon and the boy a bit of shifting to get the girl settled, but they manage it eventually and Kanon stands up, double-checking to make sure he won't drop the kid.

 _"Let's get going before we get snowed in."_ He commands, and the boy takes a second to grab Kanon's pack, slinging it over his shoulder before beckoning the teenager to follow him.

They take off at a brisk pace, pushing through the quickly building snow.

 _"I forgot to ask,"_ Kanon speaks up after a while, _"What's your name, kid?"_

 _"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"_ The boy counters.

Kanon chuckles, unable to help the way his amusement projects across their telepathic connection. _"Name's Kanon. Now it's your turn."_

 _"I'm Dimitri. My sister is Camus, and our M-our father is Vanya."_ The kid finally answers. Kanon refrains from commenting on the boy's obvious slip-up, instead opting to ask another question.

 _"You said your father's in town for work. What's he do?"_ He queries.

Dimitri turns just enough that Kanon can see the downturn at the corner of his mouth. _"Is that any of your business?_ _"_ He responds tartly.

 _"Guess not."_ Kanon admits.

Soon enough the shape of a building comes into view. It's not particularly big, and Kanon guesses there's a main room and one or two bedrooms, plus possibly a bathroom. On the bright side, there is a chimney sticking up from the roof, so at least there's a fireplace of some kind. Which is good, considering that Kanon, at least, feels like he's going to freeze if he doesn't get somewhere warm soon.

The white-haired boy in front of Kanon opens the door to the little house and steps inside, holding the door open so Kanon can slip in after him, then shutting it, heavily dampening the howling of the blizzard outside.

Kanon takes a quick glance around. Just like he thought, they're one large main room which seems to serve as both kitchen and living room, with an ice box, stove, and a table with chairs in the far corner from the door. There's a couch off to Kanon's right, with a low table and a fireplace set into the wall, and the last corner is walled off, probably as a bedroom given the size.

Stepping further into the house, Kanon makes his way to the couch and crouches down, carefully dumping his burden onto the cushions. Turning back to face the girl, he reaches for the clasp at the neck of her coat-better to get it off sooner rather than later-and promptly goes still as a freezing cold hand clamps around the back of his neck under his scarf.

An icy Cosmo burns behind him and a soft voice speaks out, tone dangerous.

"Tell me who you really are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH! After a fair bit of problems and my internet conking out just long enough for me to lose some of my progress, I got this written.
> 
> (The excitement!)
> 
> Anyway, I actually have an idea of how this one's supposed to end, so I might end up moving it out to its own separate story.
> 
> (But only if I'm sure I can finish it).
> 
> Bye-bye now!


	28. Camus: Midday Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training with the Gold Saint candidates is always chaotic, but Camus has gotten used to it. Sometimes, it's not even that bad. Strange, but not bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the continuation of the Camus series. Much like Mission: Siberia this one may actually end up in a separate story eventually. That being said, it's not happening any time soon because I have other projects I have to finish first.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

"Nico, for the last time, _get off_." Camus hisses as she attempts to dislodge her fellow trainee.

Nico just snickers from where he has plopped himself across Camus's back after taking her down in a spar. "Or what?" He asks with a smirk.

Camus lets out a frustrated growl and squirms until she can twist her own arm behind her and get a hand on Nico's bandage-wrapped forearm. Gripping tightly, she focuses a bit of Cosmo into her hand, quickly cooling the temperature of her palm significantly. Nico yelps and jerks away-Camus doesn't bother holding on-and jumps off of Camus, finally allowing the irritated Aquarius trainee to get to her feet.

"Or that." Camus says bluntly as Nico rubs at his arm.

"That was cold!" Nico complains.

Camus just gives him a blank look. "I warned you to get off. You didn't listen."

Nico opens his mouth to retort, but Aiolos steps in before the two younger trainees can start bickering.

"That's enough. Nico, let Camus up next time. Camus, try not to give Nico frostbite please." The Sagittarius Saint says with remarkable patience.

"Yes Aiolos." Camus says dutifully.

"Yeah, I got it." Nico grumbles, still rubbing at his arm. Camus is fairly sure that she hadn't actually frozen the older boy's arm that badly, but the eleven-year-old tends to be very dramatic, especially when he gets bested by one of the trainees who is younger than he is.

"Alright!" Aiolos calls, raising his voice to reach the rest of the trainees spread around the training ground reserved specifically for the aspiring Gold Saints. "That's enough for now, it's lunch time!"

In a matter of moments the various levels of training going on, ranging from Shaka and Mu's quiet meditation to Talus and Aiolia's noisy sparring match, stop, and everyone moves to gather around Mu and Shaka, who are sitting near where everyone had left the packs with their midday meals.

It takes a minute or two, but eventually they all get settle with their meals.

If there's one thing Camus has learned about Maia, it's that the kind older woman loves to cook. She's always making things to add to Camus's lunches as little treats. Today's treat is stuffed olives, along with the usual assortment of protein and vegetables and the requisite canteen of water. Hydration is incredibly important when it comes to training in the Grecian heat.

The Aquarius trainee takes a quick glance around at the others and finds that everyone has ended up arranged the same way they always do.

Camus herself is seated next to Milo, who, for whatever reason, always wants to sit next to her.

To Camus's right are Mephisto, Aphrodite, and Shura. For all that Shura is awkward around everyone, he seems to get along pretty well with the Cancer and Pisces trainees, and usually eats his lunch with them.

Mu, Aldebaran, and Shaka are seated across from her. Camus finds it curious that Shaka is willing to sit next to anyone, but she supposes that if there were to be anyone the reserved Virgo trainee would get along with, it would be the mild-mannered Mu and the friendly but gentle Aldebaran.

To the right of the younger trio are Talus and Nico, with Aiolia and Aiolos sitting past them.

Lastly, sitting to Camus's left past Milo, are Kanon and Saga. The Gemini twins are seated practically shoulder-to-shoulder, and are thoroughly engrossed in switching around their lunches.

Unlike the others, who all have meals that are at least semi-customized for their individual tastes, the two oldest trainees come to training with a pair of identical meals every day, and then just pass things to each other until they both have what they'll actually eat. It's a weird system, but Camus supposes it makes sense to make two identical meals and let the twins figure out who gets what themselves. Both boys are sturdily built and look pretty healthy, so Camus figures that they're both getting what they need to eat every day.

Soon enough, the not-quite-divided groups of trainees and young Saints settle into conversation. Mu and Aldebaran converse quietly with each other while Shaka sits between them, eating placidly and apparently unbothered at being talked across. Aphrodite and Mephisto are a lot more lively in their discussion, and Shura watches the other two boys with a faint, crooked smile on his lips. Aiolia and Talus babble excitedly to each other about some new technique they're in the middle of learning. Talus, in particular, seems quite confident that he's figured whatever it is out, and is busy sharing his idea with the two brothers.

(Sometimes, Camus feels like Talus is the middle child to Aiolos's older brother and Aiolia's little brother.)

Nico, as usual, is fairly quiet. The oldest Leo trainee is not one to make unnecessary conversation. He tends to look down on the trainees who are older than him, and doesn't get on particularly well with the four older boys. Sometimes Camus swears she sees jealously in the boy's eyes when he looks at the boys who are already Gold Saints, even Kanon.

Camus eats quietly, letting the usual chatter flow over her. It's calm, peaceful even, as the various trainees start to relax and let the stress of training fade a little bit.

They're a good fifteen minutes into their hour-long meal break when the inevitable argument breaks out. Unlike usual, however, it's not one of the trainees, but rather Saga and Kanon who are having one of their heated, wordless disagreements.

(It's oddly fascinating, the way the two oldest boys seem to know exactly what the other means even without speaking. Camus often wonders just how that works-if she'll ever be able to do that with someone, or if it's a twin thing.)

Finally, after the silent, heated conversation has gone on for a good minute and attracted the attention of almost everyone in the training ground, Kanon stands up with a huff and takes off towards the entrance to the training grounds.

"Kanon!" Saga calls after him.

The younger Gemini twin just waves one hand. "I'll be back in time to get back to training!" He yells without looking back.

Saga huffs in exasperation, but turns back to his own meal, a faint scowl on his face.

"Should we be worried?" Aiolos asks his friend.

Saga just shakes his head. "Kanon just forgot something and didn't want to go back for it." He answers.

Aiolos raises an eyebrow. "But you made him."

"It's important. Don't worry about it."

Aiolos looks skeptical about that statement, but doesn't push.

(Not for the first time, Camus wonders. Kanon, for all his apparent openness, his laughter and mischievous grins, is more of a mystery than any of the other Gold trainees or Saints. He's hard to read, and Camus gets the feeling that he's keeping secrets from everyone except Saga. A curious little part of her wants to know more.)

Camus brushes off the thought and goes back to eating.

"What do you think, Camus?" Milo's voice interrupts Camus thoughts-or lack thereof-and she blinks.

"About what?" She asks.

Milo huffs. "When do you think we're going to start learning our special techniques? I've heard that the ones for Scorpio are super powerful!" The bluenette's eyes seem to practically sparkle with excitement at the idea.

Camus pauses to think about it for a few moments, then shrugs. "Probably not until we've gotten basic mastery over our Cosmo." She finally answer. "It's probably not safe to practice our special techniques otherwise." She deliberately doesn't mentioned the studying she's already doing on her own.

Milo pouts. "That's dumb." He grumbles.

"Maybe, but Camus is right." Aiolos breaks in from his own spot. "It's not safe to practice your special techniques without reliable mastery of basic Cosmo manipulation." He smiles gently at the excitable Scorpio trainee. "And you've only just awakened your Cosmo, Milo. Best not to expect to be able to do too much so soon."

Milo's pout gets bigger, if that were even possible, and he huffs. "Fine! But I'm gonna master my Cosmo faster than anyone! Just you wait." He declares firmly.

A quiet, derisive scoff comes from Nico, and Milo takes offense at the sound, rounding on the oldest of the Leo trainees and snapping at him.

Camus blocks out the impending argument in favor of watching Aiolos. The Sagittarius Saint is watching Milo with a small, fond smile, but his eyes are dark with something Camus can't identify.

(It almost looks like the brunette is sad at how excited Milo is about learning the techniques of Scorpio.)

(It makes Camus wonder. Makes her worry in a way she normally doesn't.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all I wrote.
> 
> (Ha... haha... literally.)
> 
> See y'all later then.


	29. Approach to Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seven long years of training, Hyoga arrives in Greece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Here's another chapter of Infinite Possibilities. Back to our darling Bronzes for a change!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

After seven straight years living in the icy tundras of East Siberia, coming to Greece is like stepping into a furnace. At least, that's how it feels to Hyoga. Of course, that might be the thick pants, boots, and coat that he hadn't bothered to take off before stepping onto the plane that would take him, Isaak, and Master Dimitri from Novosibirsk to Athens. It could also be the fact that it's the middle of July and the temperature is probably somewhere in the eighties.

Next to Hyoga, Isaak looks about as miserable as Hyoga feels, his skin lightly flushed from the heat.

A soft chuckle draws the young Cygnus Saint's attention to his teacher, who is watching both teenagers with a smile on his lips. Much to Hyoga's chagrin, the older Saint looks very much unbothered by the heat.

"I did warn you it was going to be warmer here than in Siberia," the Crystal Saint says, blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"Yeah, but I thought you meant _warm_ not _blazing,_ " Isaak grouses, peeling off his coat. Hyoga follows suit, instantly grateful for the faint breeze as they step out of the airport and into the Grecian sun.

Master Dimitri just laughs and beckons them to follow him down the street as silence falls between them. Eventually they arrive at a large building, and the elder Saint leads his two students inside.

"A mall?" Hyoga asks, confused.

Master Dimitri glances back and nods. "Yes," he says, "You didn't think you'd be wearing those clothes the whole way to Sanctuary, did you?" he questions.

Hyoga blinks. He hadn't really though about it beyond thinking that he was going to be miserable until he found something cooler to wear.

"Yes!" Isaak cheers quietly, a grin spreading across his face, "Better clothes!"

They follow their master through the throngs of people and towards what appears to be a large clothing store.

"Aren't we going to get training gear when we reach Sanctuary?" Hyoga questions his master.

The older man nods. "Yes," he confirms, "But eventually you'll be cleared to take missions outside Sanctuary, and you'll need civilian clothes to blend in properly. It's not often Saints get to leave Sanctuary just because, so we're getting you new clothes now."

Hyoga and Isaak share a look and a shrug as they follow their teacher into the store.

"You'll want two or three outfits each," Master Dimitri instructs them. "They can be the same or not, whatever works for you. Make sure you get shoes too."

Isaak starts to take a step towards the racks of clothing, then pauses. "Do we have money for this?" he questions the older Saint.

"Yes, we do," comes the response.

Isaak nods, and both boys take off to find what they need.

* * *

It takes a good hour of searching-neither Hyoga nor Isaak even knows what size they are-but they do manage to find what they need, and reconvene with their teacher to pay for their new clothes and then find a public bathroom to change in.

Master Dimitri has changed into black slacks and a pale grey button down shirt which he wears with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. By the time Hyoga and Isaak come out, he's in the middle of tying off the laces of a pair black dress shoes.

Isaak has a black sleeveless shirt and stretchy dark blue pants, along with a pair of white boots. He grins when he sees Hyoga's outfit.

"How is it that we always end up with similar clothes?" he asks in amusement.

Hyoga shrugs. He had opted for a blue sleeveless shirt with a high collar, black jeans, and black and white sneakers. The new clothes feel odd, more restricting than he's used to, but not bad all things considered.

They end up back out in the main mall, Master Dimitri leading the way to the food court.

"We'll get lunch before getting on the train," he says as they arrive in the food court and are greeted by the smell of food. "Any preferences?" he adds.

Hyoga shrugs. "I've never even been to a mall, let alone one in Greece."

"I'm open to anything," Isaak says.

Their ambiguous answers earn them an exasperated look, and they are succinctly informed, "You two are no help."

They end up splitting up to choose what looks best to each of them, then sit down at a table near a set of large windows that look out over the park next to the mall.

"We've got another hour and a half to get to the train, and it's only twenty minutes to the station, so take your time."

Both boys hum in confirmation.

They eat in silence for a little while before a voice speaks out above them.

"Is this seat taken?"

Master Dimitri doesn't even look up as he responds. "It will be if you sit down."

A soft chuckle meets their ears, and a moment later a tray is set down on the table as a familiar form pulls the chair out and sits down.

"Milo!" Isaak says brightly.

Hyoga finally looks up, and sure enough, Scorpio Milo grins at them, teal eyes sparkling.

One of the younger Gold Saints, Milo is a close friend of Master Dimitri's old training partner, Aquarius Camus, and a friend of Master Dimitri's by extension. He'd accompanied Master Camus on several visits to Siberia. He always complained incessantly about the cold, but Hyoga has some good memories of times when the older Saint had taken him and Isaak out to have snowball fights, like normal children are supposed to do.

(Milo is also the primary reason Isaak is still alive now, but Hyoga does his best not to think about that too hard. It's a painful memory at the best of times, and downright shameful at the worst.)

"Hello Milo," Master Dimitri says with fond exasperation. "What are you doing in Athens?"

Milo shrugs. "Apparently dying Zoe's and Chloe's fur blue warrants a month of report duty," he says, as though that means something.

It does mean something to Master Dimitri, apparently, because he snorts. "I can hardly blame the Pope. You know he's fond of those two-even if he won't admit it." Turning to his two students, the man explains, "Zoe and Chloe are dogs. They belong to Sagittarius Aiolos."

 _Well,_ Hyoga thinks, _That does explain it._

Isaak latches onto the older Saint's words, demanding details, and they all eat as Milo regales them with the tale of his latest prank.

Hyoga can only shake his head at the story, wondering-not for the first time-how in the world Master Camus is such good friends with someone like Milo.

"Time to go," Master Dimitri's words interrupt Hyoga's thoughts and they all get up, dumping what remains of their food and leaving. Milo comes with them, apparently having completed whatever "report duty" is.

True to the Crystal Saint's words, the train station is about twenty minutes' walk from the mall, and they get there with plenty of time to get tickets and sit down as they wait.

When the train arrives, they're some of the first to board, finding a set of seats that face each other and settling down with their travel packs-Hyoga finally understands why Master Dimitri had insisted on making sure both he and Isaak had bigger bags than they needed to carry their things from Siberia-and fall back into easy conversation as they wait for the train to depart.

Just a few hours, and Hyoga will be setting eyes on Sanctuary for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you all think?
> 
> See you next chapter!


	30. Big Brothers, Little Brothers II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milo's conversation with his brother didn't go at all like he'd thought. The truth is an ugly thing, and Milo's going to have to live with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I got stuck on Justice with no inspiration for Infinite Possibilities, and then I started up National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or just NaNo) at the beginning of this month.
> 
> Then I was having tons of trouble with my NaNo project, so I went back to Justice, and only just got the next chapter out.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

As he reaches the House of Aquarius on his way down from talking to (interrogating) Saga, Milo pauses slightly as he realizes he can't sense Hyoga's Cosmo anymore. It's interesting, because Milo was talking to Saga for about two hours, perhaps a bit more, and he doesn't think that's nearly enough time for Camus and Hyoga to have worked out everything between them.

Between Isaak's death, which Milo knows Camus had lectured Hyoga over at the time-even though it really wasn't his job, and then Dimitri's more recent death, and then the stunts Camus had pulled first in Libra then all the way up at Aquarius, there's a lot for the two ice users to work out.

Unfortunately, "working things out" and "emotions" don't really mix well when it comes to Camus. Between the Aquarius and Crystal Saints, _Dimitri_ was the emotionally adept one, while Camus... well, Camus isn't nearly as emotionless as popular belief would suggest, but he's really shit at handling the emotions he _does_ have.

Hyoga seems to be a peculiar combination of the two men. He shows more emotion than Camus does, as Milo had discovered when he faced the Cygnus Saint in his own House, but he's significantly worse at handling those emotions than Dimitri ever was.

Honestly, it still mystifies Milo how in the _world_ Isaak was so well-adjusted.

(The thought, the memory of Dimitri's lively first trainee, is still raw and painful, even more than a year later. Milo had only visited Siberia with Camus a few times, but he'd liked Isaak.)

Milo pushes his thoughts away and changes directions, heading for the entrance to the living space of the eleventh House, as opposed to going straight through it and back to his own House.

Unsurprisingly, he finds Camus in the library, sitting in one of the cushy arm chairs and reading a book. The Aquarius Saint looks remarkably calm for having just had a talk with his dead training partner's-surrogate brother, really, even if Camus will deny it to the ends of the Earth-student.

Leaning against the side of the closest book case, Milo crosses his arms over his chest.

"You did actually _talk_ to Hyoga, right? I mean, you didn't just stare at him until he told you everything was fine and left, did you?" he asks.

Most people would be turned to ice by the look Camus gives him. Fortunately, Milo isn't most people, so he just responds with an impish grin, content to wait his infinitely patient best friend out until he speaks up.

Finally, Camus closes his book, marking with his spot with one finger, and sighs. "No," he says, "I did not stare him into submission. We talked. Like reasonable, functional people. It's not okay-not yet, at least-but it will get there. Hyoga knows what I'm like, and he is willing to work with me."

Milo nods. "Good. Great, even."

"And you?" Camus queries. "Did you get the answers you were looking for?"

"I got something," Milo admits. "Not what I was looking for, or what I wanted, but it was a start."

Camus nods slowly. "Care to talk about it?" he asks gently.

Milo hesitates. Thinks. Walks over and drops into the second chair across from Camus and buries his head in his hands.

"I don't know where to even start," he admits.

"The beginning?" Camus suggests dryly.

Milo nods slowly and takes a deep breath as he sits up and then leans back in his chair.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Where _the hell_ is Kanon?" Milo demands of his eldest brother.

Saga almost seems to shrink in on himself. "That's..."

Milo glares. "Is it really that hard a question to answer?" He asks. "Or do you really not know?"

Saga closes his eyes, breathing deeply. "Kanon is dead."

Milo feels his heart stop.

"What do you mean dead? Since when? What happened? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? WHY DID YOU SPEND ALL THOSE YEARS TRYING TO CONVINCE ME HE DIDNT EXIST?" The questions pour out faster than Milo should be able to manage, but he can't help it. He's wanted answers to some of these questions for so long that it's hard to hold back now.

"Because those were the rules!" Saga snaps back. At Milo's confused look, he sighs. "Sit down, and I'll explain everything."

I spite of his reservations, Milo does as Saga instructs, plopping himself down cross-legged on the floor of the cell.

"Talk," he orders.

And so Saga does.

"According to... something-Sanctuary's laws, maybe-the younger Gemini twin is born under an unlucky star. They're cursed. Evil. They have to be kept secret from the rest of Sanctuary. In this generation, that was Kanon. He should have been sent to live out in the east woods as soon as I started my training, but he wasn't. I don't know why Pope Shion let you get to know him before he had to be sent out of Sanctuary and then had me tell you he didn't exist. That's just what he did."

"So you were working under orders," Milo clarifies.

Saga nods, then continues.

"Kanon didn't take the isolation well, or the fact that he had to pretend to be me any time someone happened to catch sight of him. It was frustrating for him, especially since he was the one between us who preferred to be around people. The more time passed and the more busy I became with training all of you and my duties as a Gold Saint, the worse it got because he only had his master to visit him aside from me. Pope Shion rarely went to see him, so he was alone most of the time.

"Kanon started to become... angry. Spiteful. He would cause unnecessary trouble as a way of lashing out. It was getting out of hand, so I went to try to talk to him and do something to help. It went... badly, to say the least."

Milo's eyes narrow. "Define 'badly'," he says.

Saga hangs his head.

"It was a few days after Pope Shion named Aiolos as his successor, and Lady Athena had been reborn the night before. Kanon... he told me we should kill both of them-Pope Shion and Lady Athena, that is. Since no one knew he existed, he could kill them both and I would have an alibi. Since the announcement of Aiolos' succession hadn't been made yet, I could arrange to take over as Pope. Kanon would take my place as Gemini. I thought he was going crazy. It was an insane idea."

"So what did you do?" Milo asks.

"That's not all," Saga shook his head. "Kanon told me he knew I was just as bad as he was. That I had a 'pit of depravity' deep inside me. For me, that was the last straw. For me, the suggestion to kill Lady Athena and Pope Shion was bad enough, but that last part was too much. I locked him in Cape Sounion."

"Cape Sounion?" Milo snarled. "What were you thinking?! Why didn't you take him to Master Shion?!"

"I didn't think it warranted going through the whole process of a trial!" Saga snaps back. "Kanon _suggested we kill Lady Athena_! You can't get more treasonous than that without actually trying to do it!"

Milo raises an eyebrow, giving his brother a bland look.

Saga shook his head tiredly.

"When you're locked is Cape Sounion, there's no way out unless you repent and Lady Athena herself forgives you. Kanon... he wasn't joking or lying. He was completely serious about his idea, and he's not the type to go back on his word. He never apologized or felt bad about anything he did."

"So you just... left him there? And never told anyone? And then it turned out he was right and you went nuts, killed Master Shion and attempted to kill Lady Athena, and the rest I already know. Am I right? You're sure Kanon is dead?"

Saga nods. "I went back to Cape Sounion a two days later, before I... lost it. Kanon was gone."

"Gone as in dead, like a corpse? Or gone as in physically not there?" Milo checks, just to be sure.

"Not physically there," Saga answers.

Milo shakes his head, mystified. "Then how can you be sure he's dead? What if he got out?"

Saga's expression darkens. "Didn't you hear me? You don't leave Cape Sounion unless you repent and Lady Athena releases you, and Kanon would never do that."

Milo glares right back. "And what if you're wrong?! What if Kanon did get out and just disappeared?!"

"Then there's nothing we can do," Saga answers tiredly. "Kanon was always good at hiding. Usually if someone saw him it was because he let them, not because he wasn't careful enough or because they got lucky. He can hide his Cosmo completely. If he somehow got out, and didn't come back, then chances are you'll never find him."

Milo's eyes narrow, and Saga shakes his head.

"Don't take that as a challenge Milo," he says in warning. "Maybe you will find Kanon, but he won't be the brother you remember from when you were small. He's a different person now."

Milo's sneers at his eldest brother. "I'm willing to take your story as a starting point because that's all I have, but considering the amount of lying _you've_ done the past thirteen years, I think I'd rather find Kanon and make my own conclusions, thanks."

"Milo..." Saga starts, and it's the same tone he used when they were younger, when Milo had been talking about Kanon and Saga was about to claim he didn't exist at all. That infuriatingly gentle, sympathetic tone, like Saga felt bad for his poor, confused little brother.

"Shut up!" Milo yells. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe Kanon suggesting what he did was your fault too?"

Saga flinched visibly.

"You claim that you didn't have as much time to spend with Kanon because of training us and being a Gold Saint, but did you even try?! You were one of Master Shion's favorites! Why didn't you go to him and ask for help so you weren't so busy? You two were so close when we were small!"

Saga closes his eyes and turns his head away. It's an expression of guilt and shame if Milo has ever seen one.

A horrible thought occurs to him. "You didn't want to spend time with him, did you? It wasn't that you were too busy, you just didn't care! _Why_?!"

When Saga doesn't answer, Milo snarls in frustration. "I can't believe you! You always preached to us about how we needed to be there for each other, how we were brothers-in-arms and should always have each other's backs no matter what, but you abandoned the one person, _the one person_ who needed you more than anyone because he didn't have anyone else."

"He had Astra!" Saga snaps back. That, out of everything the older bluenette has said, is what truly makes Milo snap. He's on his feet, hands clenched, jaw tight as he stares down at the man he had once respected more than anyone.

"ASTRA WAS A MONSTER!" he screams at Saga. "You wouldn't know because your psychic training was done under Master Shion, but I wasn't powerful enough to warrant that! Me, Deathmask, Aphrodite. We were all trained under Astra and it. Was. HELL. It's no wonder Kanon lost it if _all_ his training was under that sick-minded son of a bitch!"

Saga stares at him. "Astra was one of Pope Shion's most trusted Silver Saints," he states.

"And you were one of his most trusted Gold Saints," Milo spits back, "And look where that got him. Dead, remember?"

He feels no small amount of satisfaction at the way Saga flinches.

Turning around, Milo goes to leave the cell. "I've got all I'm going to get here without wanting to throttle you," he mutters.

Saga doesn't say anything as Milo leaves.

* * *

Milo's thoughts are racing by the time he finishes telling Camus everything.

The Aquarius Saint is watching him with a look that, in Camus-speak, is equivalent to sympathy. Milo almost hates it.

Taking a deep breath, Milo shakes his head.

"You know the worst part of this? I don't think I'm wrong about Kanon and Astra. It makes perfect sense."

"You've never talked about you're training with Astra," Camus comments. "I know he trained you, but that's it."

"Yeah," Milo mutters, "That was deliberate."

His hands are starting to shake, thoughts going in all sorts of directions, getting darker and darker by the second, but so fast that he can't keep track of them. He tries to take a deep breath, tries to push all the thoughts into the box at the back of his mind where he keeps thoughts he doesn't have time for. He can't deal with all of it now.

_It's too much._

"Milo." Camus' voice is steady, patient. He's gripping Milo's hands firmly, a rare occurrence, considering that he doesn't like to initiate physical contact, but the cold touch is strangely grounding for the Scorpio Saint.

"Deep breaths. Remember what Aiolos taught us," the Aquarius Saint orders him.

The thought of the long-dead Sagittarius Saint makes Milo wince internally, but it does the trick.

_"Never forget to breath. You breath will steady you in a way nothing else can. When you start to lose yourself to your thoughts, breath first, and worry about everything else later."_

It's a useful directive in the moment, and Milo makes good use of it, taking slow, deep breaths until his mind stops racing quite so much.

"Better?" Camus asks him after a good ten minutes.

Milo nods.

"Good," his friend says. "Now talk."

"About what?" Milo asks, confused.

"Whatever it was that got you so upset," Camus answers, sitting down in his own chair with his legs crossed and his hands folded over his knees. "What Saga told you. It's given you an idea. Work out your thoughts, or you'll get caught up in them again."

Milo hesitates. He's not sure he wants to work out these thoughts. They're dark and ugly, and Milo would be perfectly happy to never think about them again. It's not like they're even useful to him, since Astra, Deathmask, and Aphrodite are all dead now.

But then, Camus is right.

It's a bizarre... Milo's not really sure what it is, really. Some side effect of his training, maybe, or just a quirk he'd picked up, considering it never happened to him as a child.

Milo has never been a thinker. He acts on his instincts as much as he can outside of his missions, and leaves the thinking to people like Camus and Mu. But sometimes, he can't help it. Sometimes, like a few minutes ago, he starts thinking, and it's like all the bottled up thoughts and feelings just come pouring out, and it's such a fast-paced, confusing mess that Milo can't handle it.

"Take your time," Camus directs him patiently, the way he always does when he makes Milo do this. "Get your thoughts in order before you start talking. Don't say a word until you're sure you can go from beginning to end without getting confused.

Milo nods, and closes his eyes. Cutting out visual input will help him focus inward, on the thoughts that are bothering him so much.

Camus waits, patient as ever.

Finally, Milo is confident in his ability to convey his thoughts clearly, if not quickly.

"When I went to Milos Island, Astra came for a few hours three times a week for psychic training. The first thing he taught me was how to compartmentalize, because I needed to be able to do that for my missions. I struggled a lot at first. It just... wasn't clicking. I think Astra got frustrated, because he changed his methods. He went from generally harsh to downright brutal, almost cruel. It was painful, but it worked."

Camus nods, brow furrowed in thought. "Just how well did it work?" he asks.

"I reached a point where I could block everything out completely. When I was sent to Andromeda Island with Aphrodite I didn't even flinch when I killed five of Cepheus Albiore's students." Milo stops.

"Keep going," Camus reminds him. "If you stop now you'll have trouble starting again."

Milo nods, and starts again. "I don't think that's natural. It's not normal to just switch off your emotions like that. And even if it was, it's not something _I_ should be able to do.

"I remember picking up-somewhere or other-that Aphrodite and Deathmask were trained by Astra as well, and they would have had him as their trainer for longer than me..." He trails off, suddenly unsure of his thoughts.

"So?" Camus asks. "This is about what you learned from Saga about Kanon, right? How are Aphrodite and Deathmask connected?"

"Because they were acting strange all these years too!" Milo blurts out. "We weren't exactly close to them-they were always hanging out just the two of them, or with Shura-but they were never so callous. Deathmask could be a real asshole, even a bit vicious, but never a murderer. And Aphrodite had that insanely strong sense of justice, almost like Shura, but he was never so... power hungry. He didn't go on and on about power being justice and all that. Don't you see?"

"No," Camus says bluntly. "I don't see. You're still missing a piece. Try again."

Milo growls. "Weren't you listening to me when I told you what Saga said about Kanon? He was trained by Astra. But he didn't have other masters, it was _only_ Astra. And for way longer than any of the rest of us."

Camus raises an eyebrow.

Milo rolls his eyes. "Kanon suggested to Saga that they should kill Master Shion and Lady Athena and take over Sanctuary, and even knew about Saga's... evil side, or whatever it was. Deathmask started killing indiscriminately and cutting his victims' faces off to hang on the walls of his temple. Aphrodite became obsessed with power being justice. I started completely shutting off my emotions during missions. And _we were all trained by Astra._ He's the common thread here!

"If Astra trained all of us, and Deathmask, Aphrodite and I all started acting strangely-doing things that don't weren't like us, what if he did something to us? Astra, I mean. What if he messed with our minds somehow? And if he did that to us, while only being responsible for a small part of our training for a few years, what could he do to Kanon, being responsible for _all_ of his training for nearly a decade?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm gonna end it here. Kinda like a cliff hanger, almost.
> 
> Tell me what you think of this, and I'll see you all soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it. I do take feedback.
> 
> See you soon!


End file.
